Dreams Cloaked in Shadows
by Borgias
Summary: The story of Reno and my OC. Tragedy strikes.
1. How it Began

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks or Midgar. Those are all Square Enix's

Pre-chapter A/N: I reposted the chapter so it's a bit more streamlined, not so blocky. Don't really know how successful I was . . . I definitely think I've gotten better at this! In the latter chapters, Reno and Cam have undergone some character development, and the chapters are generally easier to read.

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Reno walked out of his house, feeling hungry. There'd been nothing in their fridge but some spoiled milk and a jar with a small amount of jam in it. Reno had eaten the jam, drank a glass of tap water, and called it lunch. He was 5 years old, a scrawny boy who was tall for his age, his flaming red hair messy and unkempt.

Reno walked to the small broken-down play yard where he usually found other kids to socialize with, quickening his pace when he heard a commotion. It sounded like some of the older kids jeering at someone. "What's goin' on?" he asked another boy called Zidane. He shrugged "Nah, it's a girl from the whorehouse."

When he reached the yard, he saw a trio of kids who looked to be about 8 or 9, and they were circling an unfamiliar small girl, taunting her as she tried to take a little red ball from them. The girl was agitated, frowning and pleading "I want my ball back, come on, you promised you'd give it back". One of the boys spat "So what if we lied?" The second boy yanked at a lock of her black hair "Whatcha gonna do about it, sprat?" The girl seemed frightened when the last boy shoved her "Yeah, wanna do something 'bout it?" Reno felt bad for the girl, knowing that these kids bullied anyone smaller or weaker than they, and the girl doomed herself when she tried to run away.

The boys gave chase and again encircled her, now shoving her from one boy to the next. Her little ball lay forgotten in the dust. Reno knew it had never been the ball they'd been after, but the new girl to bother. She was crying now, and something about her fearful tears made Reno angry at the boys. "C'mon, she's just a little kid! Leave her alone!" he though, angrily. The kids stopped harassing the girl, and she fell to the dust, sniffling.

Only when Zidane muttered "oh, shit" and wandered away did Reno come to realize he'd spoken out loud. The kids headed towards Reno now, eyes slit maliciously. "Ooh, look, it's the Collins kid!" "Finally grew a backbone, Reno?" "Yah, I'm really scared now!" they taunted. Reno glared defiantly at them, and this angered them. The leader punched Reno on the mouth and the other two shoved him. The redhead fell on his butt to the floor, feeling scared but trying fiercely not to show it. He tasted blood in his mouth.

"Hey, stop it, you little shits!" a teenaged girl hissed at them, and the street urchins scattered. Reno spat out the blood in his mouth, watching the teen help the little girl up, brushing the dust off her legs. "Jeez, your mom would have kittens if she finds out you were about to get in a fight. Now stop crying!" The teen lectured, pulling the girl by the wrist. The little girl looked at Reno, smiling tentatively. Reno smiled back, but the teen had already left. He got up and dusted himself off, noticing she'd left her ball. He took it and followed, always a safe distance behind so the teen wouldn't chase him away.

She lived fairly close to Reno's own home, but he looked at her house apprehensively. He knew it was a whorehouse, a place men were constantly going in and out of. His own father sometimes visited it, and the ensuing fights between his parents had made Reno associate the brothel with feelings of anger, resentment and suspicion against the women living there.

Reno sighed unhappily, knowing unconsciously that the girl was most likely the bastard daughter of a prostitute and would eventually become one herself. Still, he wanted her to have her toy back; toys were hard to come by here in the slums. He waited for her to come back out, wandering around the part of the slum he was familiar with.

Eventually it turned to late afternoon. It was always dark in this section of the Sector 3 slums, but Reno knew what time it was when he heard the evening news come on the television. Reno hadn't seen the girl since, and decided to pass by her house once more before calling it a night. He heard someone call out "Hey, there he is!", and groaned when he saw the same 3 boys from earlier, looking even meaner than before.

Still, his father had once told Reno that running was the coward's way out, and that nobody would ever take him seriously or respect him if he ran. He had to hold his ground, even when he knew he was going to get beaten. He wasn't disappointed.

Several minutes later, the scuffle ended. Reno had given as good as he got, using his size and speed to his advantage. Everyone ended with bleeding mouths and noses. The fight had stopped because a Turk, accompanied by two armed MPs, was passing by. The kids stopped to stare, and the MPs waved them off, flanking the entrance to an old warehouse. The older kids ran away, knowing both Turks and MPs to be dangerous people.

The Turk went in silently, and as Reno began constructing gory imaginary scenarios of the Turk blasting gunshots onto an unlucky victim, he heard a small voice ask "Are you OK?" He nodded slightly, holding his aching head between his palms, and looked up to see who'd spoken to him.

It was the little girl, and she had to have the strangest, loveliest eyes he'd ever seen. They were a dark bluish purple, a color that was set off nicely by her dusky skin color. The girl helped Reno to his feet, and said "Thanks for helping me earlier. Those kids were mean." Reno nodded "Yeah, they're bullies. Here, I want you to have this back." He proffered the ball, the girl laughing delightedly "I though I'd lost it! Thank you!" Reno smiled "It's OK", but the girl had pulled him by the wrist to an alley behind the whorehouse.

She released him, saying "Stay here, I'll be right back", then ran into the brothel's front door. Reno leaned against the wall, feeling anxious, planning to leave if the girl didn't reemerge in 10 seconds. Suddenly the window right above his head banged open and the girl's head popped out. "Here, hold this" she instructed, holding out a big, paper wrapped sandwich and a cold bottle of juice. Reno took the items, eyeing them hungrily as the girl leapt out of the window.

She told Reno "That's my dinner. You can have half of it, I never eat the whole thing. Look, it's already cut in half, see?" Reno nodded and picked up his half, not having to be told twice. They ate quickly and silently, taking sips from the juice bottle by turns. When they were finished, they both heaved sighs of contentment. Then the girl asked "What's your name?" Reno puffed up his chest to look bigger and fearsome, proclaiming "The name's Reno!" She giggled, and Reno released the pent up air in a whoosh, "How 'bout you?" The girl smiled prettily at him "I'm Camryn, but everyone calls me Cammy."

Reno stood up from the box he'd been sitting on, saying "Well, I gotta go. I'm s'posed to be at home before 9." Cam looked sad, gathering the empty bottle and the paper wrappers "Oh. It's OK" she mumbled dejectedly. Reno then cheerily said "So, I'm gonna be at the yard tomorrow, if ya wanna hang out." Cam glanced at him "You wanna hang out with me?" Reno immediately forgot any apprehensions he might've had about befriending someone from the brothel when he saw the flare of hope in Cam's eyes. He nodded "Yeah. See ya tomorrow." Cam laughed and kissed Reno's cheek "Thanks, Reno! See you tomorrow!"

She climbed back into the window, waving cheerily at him. "Bye!" she called, then disappeared. Reno's cheeks matched his hair, and he sorely hoped she hadn't noticed. When she didn't pop back out the window anymore, Reno smiled to himself and headed home.

Their friendship began in this easy, unassuming way. They'd meet in the yard, or at the shabby little building that passed for a school. They'd play or talk with other kids, but never really lost sight of one another. Reno never truly knew kindness in his home, and seemed a bit shocked when Cam seemed perfectly happy in her own home.

She innocently told Reno funny little stories about her many 'sisters', who combed her hair and gave her little chocolates. Cam would also usually share her dinner with Reno, claiming she never ate it all. Reno shyly admitted he liked her eyes, and Cam told him she liked his freckles and his red hair, claiming to have never seen hair as red as his.

Things began to change when they were 7 years old. Reno had started working as a drug mule for his father several months earlier, transporting drugs and money among some of the more unsavory lesser criminals in the slum. As he began becoming more and more familiarized with the underground crime scene, he noticed an abrupt change in Cam.

She would seldom come to the play yard, and when she did she seemed sullen and depressed, staring into space and crying often. Reno missed her company, but she wouldn't tell him anything. He'd insisted, going to the alley behind the brothel and calling her softly. Sometimes she came out, sometimes she didn't.

Finally she'd come out one day, and had begun crying, at last telling Reno what was wrong. She told him what she was being made to do in the brothel, since now she was "old enough to turn a profit", as the brothel's owner put it. Reno had been sad and horrified for his friend, and tried to comfort her as best he could. Still, her depression lasted several months, and eventually stopped going either to school or the play yard, as the older kids' usual teasing turned brutal once they learned she'd been "broken in to the family business".

Reno got in several fights, always sticking up for her whether she was there to see or not. He wanted to protect her somehow, this girl who'd shown him friendship and kindness without ever seeming to ask for anything in return. Eventually she got better, the depression lifted as she grew somewhat resigned to her current situation. Much to Reno's delight, she started spending time in the yard again, sticking up for herself against the teasing, which had tapered off considerably due to Reno's doing.

They were each other's best friend, confidant and playmate. He was her guardian, she his angel. He made her feel safe, she made him feel loved. When life had been particularly cruel to either of them, the other would make the effort to help and make the other feel better. They never lost sight of one another, even at times when they drifted apart. They'd always find each other again, a pattern that would repeat throughout their childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

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Author's note: Here we go! That's my OC; hopefully you'll like reading her, at least half as much as I like writing her. This will mostly be Reno and Cam centric, sometimes together, sometimes apart, with the rest of the Turks and the execs in ShinRa Company (and probably another female OC; I mean, c'mon! There's only 5 females including Scarlet, and like 14 males) making several appearances throughout. And yes, the subjects described here will be very harsh. Abusive parents, child labor and prostitution, drug, alcohol and sex themes against minors. I intend to capture the gritty, nasty aspects of growing up in a very deprived environment to better illustrate Reno and Cam's motivations later on. Anyway, let me know what you think. 


	2. The Beating

Camryn sat at her windowsill, eating an orange and watching for Reno. He'd been missing all day, not showing up in the shabby little building that passed for a school, or in the play yard. That was nothing new, though. If kids could turn a profit and the family was desperate for money, kids were often kept from school and made to work. There were days when Reno and Cam didn't see each other because of the work they were forced to do, but Reno usually always came to the alley behind her window to share with Cam what was usually the only square meal he had everyday.

Cam sighed and saved him half the orange: fresh fruit was rare in the slums. As she prepared to head back inside, she heard shuffling footsteps. She stuck her head out the window to see, and called out "Reno? 'S that you?" Camryn recognized his slight form, and smiled "C'mon, c'mon, hurry up, will ya?" Reno put a hand on the whorehouse wall, and slowly slid down to crumple to the floor. "Reno? Reno?!" Cam called out, alarmed. She jumped out her window and ran to him.

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Reno was dizzy and disoriented. He vaguely remembered getting home later than usual, as he'd taken longer to sell the drugs his father had given him. It being later and darker, more thugs were on the street, and they'd beaten Reno for the money and drugs he carried. Reno had almost expected this to happen, and had gone by earlier to deliver his earnings to Cort, the local crime boss to whom Reno's father owed a big gambling debt. He'd only had 75 gil only, and about 20 gil worth of drugs, which he'd quickly given to the thugs in the name of self-preservation. They hadn't beaten him too badly though, and Reno definitely counted this as good. Everything changed when he got home.

Pete Collins had found his wife stealing from his wallet to buy the drugs she was hopelessly addicted to. Consumed in fury, and drunk to boot, he'd beaten her. When Reno walked into his house, he saw his father with his fists clenched, and Karla cowering on the floor whimpering. He tried to make himself scarce quickly, but Pete asked "The fuck happened to you?" A sudden spasm of wrath crossed his face, and the tall man grabbed Reno's shoulder. His thumb dug into the soft flesh under the skinny boy's collarbone, making Reno wince with pain. "You lost the money, didn't you? Didn't you?!" Pete roared in Reno's face "You and your mother are fucking useless!"

Before the frightened boy could even try to explain that he'd foreseen the mugging, and had saved the vast majority of the money earned, his father's fury exploded once again in a flurry of violence. He pulled Reno by his hair to slap and beat him, and kicked him where he fell, bellowing out his venomous wrath. When he got tired of beating the boy, he dragged both Reno and his mother outside, claiming they were useless and he wanted no part of them.

Karla shuffled to her feet and went to the semi-conscious redhead "You OK, Reno?" she mumbled through swollen lips. Reno could only cough and wheeze, crying in pain. Karla seemed to think "If he can cough, he'll live" and shambled away. Reno drifted in and out of consciousness for several minutes, willing himself desperately to stay awake, knowing that if he lost consciousness, chances were he'd probably wake up in even a worse pinch than he was in now. He had to get somewhere, somewhere safe. He though he'd made it to Cam's, but his legs would just not hold him any longer. He thought he heard her voice calling him, but he couldn't drag his eyes open.

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Cam knelt by his slumped form, and even in the dark alley she could see the blood and bruises all over him. She tried to wake him up, but he was deeply unconscious, and his limp form slid out of her small hands when she tried to pick him up. Cam was half mad with fright and worry; she knew his father or the street thugs beat him often, but never had it been this bad. She jumped back into her house and knocked on one of her "sister"'s door. "Leila!" she hissed, not wanting to draw attention to herself "Leila, open up!"

Leila pulled Cam in and shut the door. "S'up, li'l girl?" she asked, ruffling Cam's hair. Cam turned her tear-filled eyes up to her "Leila, I need your help, Mama can't help me right now, she's working, and I'm scared that-" Leila held up a hand, then sighed "You in trouble again? God, Cammy, why am I still babysitting you? You gotta be more responsible-" Cam stomped a foot in frustration and whispered harshly "Listen to me! It's my best friend, Leila! He got all beat up, he's in the alley out back, and I can't move him, or wake him up, I can't do anything!" she pled, beginning to cry, her violet eyes dark with fear and worry.

Leila huffed a breath through her nose "Dammit, Cam, I can't drag no bruised up boy in here." Cam pled again "Please, Leila, just help me put him through the window into my room, please!" Leila groaned and went to the door "Fine! If it'll get you offa my back!" The girls made their way back to the small room Cam shared with her mother. Cam knew her mother wouldn't reject Reno's being there. Valeriana was currently entertaining a customer in one of the ornate rooms upstairs. She'd met Reno when she wondered why Cam had suddenly decided to take her dinner to their room every day. She'd come upon the children sharing the meal, and always tried to give Cam more food since then.

The girls jumped out the window into the alley and went to Reno, who still lay motionless on the ground. Leila sucked in a breath "Oh, holy shit, did they ever do a number on – hey! I've seen this kid before. Isn't he the one who's always getting in fight because of you?" Cam shrugged, nervously stroking Reno's hair. Leila scoffed "Some friend you got. Let's get this kid in there" She was almost 21 years old, and easily managed to pick up the small figure broken and bleeding on the floor.

Once the girls had managed to put Reno inside the room, they both hissed in equal breaths of dismay. The better light in the room let them see the ravage done to him. One of his eyes was swollen shut, and his nose and mouth were seeping blood. Leila lifted his shirt, and Cam begun to cry again at the sight of the many bruises and discolorations on Reno's chest, back and stomach. "This is serious shit, Cammy" Leila muttered anxiously; they so did not need a dying boy here now. They heard someone at the door and turned quickly to see who it was. It was Valeriana.

Cam's mother was a strikingly beautiful woman. She was originally from Costa del Sol, and as pure Costan, the rich bronze-brown of her skin was matched with the glistening black hair Cam had inherited. On any other occasion, her features were lovely to look at, but now she looked tired and sullen. Her mouth formed an "O" of surprise as she hurried to close the door. Then she surveyed the 2 guilty-looking girls hovering over Reno. "What the hell happened?" she muttered, then she really saw Reno. "Oh God, Cammy, get out of the way dear, and stop crying". Valeriana knelt by the boy, stroking his hair out of his face to better assess the damage.

Leila pushed Cam towards the small nightstand. The older girl pointed "Bring that water pitcher over here, and get a towel or an old shirt or something." Cam quickly obeyed, and Leila soaked the small towel, wrung it and gave it to Valeriana. She gently wiped the blood and grit off Reno's face and neck, then carefully took his shirt off. Again she wiped his small body, her heart aching for this poor boy, a boy her daughter called 'friend'. Valeriana gently squeezed on either side of his ribcage, hips, arms and legs, feeling for any broken bones. He had none, thank Gaia, but some of his ribs would very likely be sprained. She muttered angrily in Costan "_¿Quién sería el cabrón?_" while resting her head on his chest to listen to his breathing. He was breathing just fine, and Valeriana finally stopped her examination, turning to the anxious-looking girls.

"So far as I can tell, he's gonna be fine. Got no broken bones and he's breathing OK. Leila honey, you best run back to your room, you got a customer soon, he called already. Thank you for helping" she instructed, and Leila left. Cam watched as her mother picked off Reno's shoes and placed him in Cam's cot, then broke up crying again when she asked "What happened, baby girl?" Valeriana gathered Cam up to her lap for a snuggle and Cam vented all her fear and worry, crying against her mother's neck.

Valeriana soothed her child, stroking her body, her hair and back, murmuring "Sss, _ya está bueno_, he's gonna be fine". Cam sniffled, and Valeriana wiped her tear-streaked face with her soft hands "See? You're all right now. You'll see, honey, tomorrow he's gonna be the same old Reno." She spoke in a soothing voice, accented with the Costan pronunciations as she trilled the _r_'s and shaped the vowels differently. Cam nodded, sitting up on her mother's lap, and Valeriana gave her a kiss on the temple.

"I don't know who did it, Mama" Cam explained "I was just about to come back in from waiting, but then I saw him and he was like this." Valeriana sighed, thinking "Who'd do that to a child?", then mentally scolded herself for being a hypocrite "Vale, you know plenty of people who abuse kids." And speaking of which, she set Cam on her feet. She reached out and tucked a lock of her child's hair behind her ear. "Cammy" she spoke quietly, setting the girl's clothing right "Mr. Pear is visiting. He'd like to see you." Mr. Pear was how they referred to an important businessman who'd been procuring Cam since she'd started 'working', due to his overweight, pear-shaped body. He was by far the safest of Cam's customers, often content to give her small gifts and watch her play with them.

Cam gave her mother a half-hearted smile "Last time he told me he'd bring me a big-girl present." Valeriana smiled back, a strange mix of love, sadness and humor "Let's see if you can beat the oranges I got last night. Those oranges are really hard to get, you know." Cam grinned and hugged her mother tightly around the neck. Valeriana hugged her back, murmuring "I love you oodles, baby girl", to which Cam responded "I love you oodles too, Mama".

A short while later, Cam was called for, but before she left, Valeriana reassured her that she'd keep Reno safe and hidden. After Cam left, Valeriana went to Dorcas, the woman who was part nurse, part madam and part negotiator for the brothel's women. She feigned soreness and feeling ill, and Dorcas handed her 2 restorative potions. Then Valeriana went to the kitchen to fetch a small snack of sweet bread and milk, then returned to her young patient.

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A/N: Had to cut this in half, otherwise it would have been a 3,000 + word behemoth. The italics are words I'll use occasionally as 'Costa' dialect, and is mostly very casual, very colloquial Spanish. More on Reno's status, as well as a nice long explanatory Author's Note in the second half. And as always, be kind and review! 


	3. The Beating, 2

Reno was still unconscious, but he slept uneasily, whimpering and moving. Valeriana sat on the edge of the bed, her weight making Reno move slightly and bump into her. His eyes flashed open wildly and his arms flailed as he cried out in sudden terror. Valeriana, in part to shush him and in part to keep him from hurting himself (or her), wrapped her arms around the trembling boy's back. She pressed Reno's fists against her chest using Reno's own body to keep him from thrashing about. Reno kept whimpering and shuddered uncontrollably, trying to get loose. "Shh, it's OK, honey pie, you're safe now" she tried to soothe him, but still the boy sniffled and keened. She pressed her cheek to the top of Reno's head and gently began to rock, humming. The boy quieted down, and muttered "I'm OK, I'm OK now", and Valeriana released him.

He sniffled and quickly wiped his tears away, wincing as his fingers skimmed over the puffy, bruised flesh. Valeriana gave him one of the potions, and Reno drank it, making a sour face at the bitter taste. Almost immediately his color improved and he seemed steadier. His bruises had faded somewhat, but overall he seemed much better than he did when she first saw him. She stroked his messy red hair gently, feeling at least 2 bumps, asking "Feeling a bit better, hon?" Reno nodded, and then asked "So I really made it here?" Valeriana smiled "Yup. Cammy saw you just barely get here, and dragged you in." The redhead quickly looked around for Cam, and then sat back looking glum, knowing what her absence meant.

She almost didn't want to ask, but her motherly instincts kicked in "Sweetie, who did this to you?" Reno looked away, pulling his hand out of her soft grip. "Reno?" she prompted. He reached up a small hand to rub absentmindedly the spot under his collarbone where Pete often grabbed him. "H-he didn't mean to . . ." he whispered, bowing his head. Valeriana was appalled "Sweetie, your _father_ did this to you?" Reno sniffled, still not looking at her "It's my fault, I got m-mugged, I-I - he didn't, I-" then he began to sob quietly. Valeriana decided to be the mother Reno apparently couldn't count on, and pulled him into her lap as she'd done for Cam earlier.

After Reno had himself a good cry, he seemed diminished, empty somehow. Valeriana prompted him to eat, and he did so mechanically, not really savoring the small meal. "How much did you lose, dear?" she asked quietly, to break the awkward silence. Reno let out a small puff of breath "It was just about 95 gil." Valeriana felt a flush of motherly rage, "That sorry sonofabitch nearly beat the boy to death for a 100 gil?!" She got up and strode to the small dresser where she and Cam kept their clothes. She took out a small envelope and counted out 120 gil of the money she'd been squirreling away for herself and Cam to eventually get out of here. "Here, honey pie, give your dad his precious money" she said, thrusting the money into his small hands.

He looked at her through wide eyes. "N-no, Vale, I can't!" he stammered, calling her by her nickname. Valeriana waved his protests away "No, I want you to have it. Whether or not you give it to your old man, that's up to you, but I don't want you to think you got beat up for nothing." The boy snickered faintly "That doesn't make much sense, Vale." She grinned "Oh, so I'm a silly woman now?" He shook his head, smiling "No, no, you're cool. . . But-" he frowned now, again averting his gaze "-I can't take this home. M-my mom, she . . ." Reno looked up now, a raw expression in his eyes, "-she looks through my stuff."

Reno actually felt divided about his mother's drug addiction. He hated the things she did for money, and how she acted when she had no access to the drugs she needed, but still, he loved her. He loved her, and desperately wanted to believe her when, high as a motherfucking kite, she ran her hands over his face and hair, cooing "Reno, baby I love you so much, look at your red hair, just like your daddy's!"

Valeriana sighed, "OK, tell you what. I'll keep this money here for you. Whenever you need some to buy yourself something, you just come over here and give me a howl. How's that?" Reno looked at her, a glimmer of hope in his blue-green eyes. "Vale" he mumbled, "why are you doing this?" he asked timidly. She stood up, smoothed out her clothes "I guess I just like you, honey" she said, looking at him "You deserve better than what you're getting, you're a good kid. Also, you look after Cammy. I know how you've stood by my girl during some rough times." Reno squirmed uncomfortably "I guess so, but . . . Cammy's really fun." Valeriana smiled and fluffed up the pillow Reno'd be using "She can't get enough of you, boy. So it's settled then. You'll be staying here till tomorrow. There's no way I'm letting you out into the slums tonight." Reno quietly went back to bed, much too quiet and solemn for a 9 year old boy. 2 minutes later, he was snoring quietly.

Reno had been sleeping for some time, Valeriana looking at him contemplatively. She loved children, and often wished she had more, but she'd never inflict on another guiltless child the lifestyle Cam had to endure. If only cold facts were to be considered, it might be said that Valeriana and Camryn were actually fortunate. They had their own small neat room, they always had clean clothes, and were generally well-fed and healthy. The brothel's owner ran a clean place, and the girls were by and large kept safe from harm and disease. But for all that, Valeriana still felt a flush of shame come over her face as she knew that both she and her daughter were condemned to prostitution because of a mistake Valeriana had made when young. She'd assumed certain things, and had gotten turned out of her family home. She'd believed that, if she followed Cam's father to Midgar, he'd take care of them. She'd been wrong, and the world was unkind to a young unwed immigrant mother.

Valeriana hated for Cam to have this stigma, this stain of prostitution hanging over her head. Her daughter had never known what it was to bathe in the ocean, to go to school regularly, to fly a kite and play with other kids like her. All the things Valeriana had done herself growing up in Costa del Sol. Things she'd taken for granted, but now looking at them in hindsight, meant so much to her. She sighed; Reno was no different than Cam in several aspects. He was ironically worse off than Cam, who'd had prostitution forced upon her. She looked up sharply as the door opened, and relaxed when she saw it was Cam. Valeriana noted a small but lovely lacquered box she was holding. "What's that, _beba_?" She asked, making Cam smile at the small Costan endearment. Cam gave her mother the box "Mr. Pear gave it to me, said he'd been to Bone Village and this was dug out during the night" she sobered up, glancing at Reno "How is he?"

Valeriana put cam's little treasure on a small shelf at the wall, telling her daughter "He's OK. He woke up, ate something, then went back to bed, where you should be, young lady." She undressed Cam and put an old nightshirt of her over the girl's head. It was so long it brushed her ankles, and for a moment she looked like what she was seldom allowed to be: a happy young girl. Valeriana sank to her knees and hugged Cam tightly, a sudden knot in her throat over what could have been, should have been, but wasn't. "I love you, _cielito_" she whispered, kissing the girl's soft black curls. Then she released Cam and stood, smiling for her daughter's sake "Now, time for bed." Cam looked up at her mother, a strange expression in her eyes, and got into her bed with Reno. She curled up behind the redhead's back, and gave Valeriana the thumbs up. Valeriana turned off the light "Goodnight, kiddo" she said, and Cam replied "'Night, Mama."

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A/N: Um, yeah . . . For some reason I conceptualized Cam and her mother as Costans. Remember in the game, how Costans were all sexy and fun-loving and relaxed? That's how I visualized Cam being later on. And as for how her mother ended up in a slum brothel, I just used a very common thing I've seen happen to young girls everywhere: girl loves boy, boy takes advantage of it, boy abandons girl, girl has a few really uncomfortable choices to make. I also made it my business to show that no matter what happened, Valeriana really loves Cam, and doesn't hold anything against her. This is really, really important in building Cam's character later on. And lastly, this was written mostly from Valeriana's perspective, to illustrate the difference between how the kids perceive themselves and what the adults know to be true. Hence, she makes jokes with Cam about what "presents" they'll get from their customers. And to avoid confusion, no, Valeriana is not the other major OC I've planned for the fic. Shame, really. I like her. 


	4. Small people, big changes

As always, (although I don't think this has shown up in the previous chapters . . . GASP! The lawsuits!!) I don't own Reno, and I'm not getting anything out of this fic except some self-satisfaction.

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"Reno? Where you at, boy?" 

Reno was curled up in a corner outside his house, trying to hide from his father. The older man was slurring his words slightly. His drinking and gambling debts had grown steadily worse over the years, and as a result of the increasing pressure from the debt collectors, he'd been drinking more, and getting more violent against Reno and his mother. Reno had come home that day to find Pete beating Karla. That's when he ran outside to hide. He could never hope to take on his father.

The shouting and crashing had ceased a few minutes ago, and Reno had the crazy urge to laugh. "He's finally done it!" he thought hysterically "The motherfucker killed Karla!" Indeed he began to laugh, a short burst of childish giggles that ended in a moaning sob as his father tumbled out of the house and ended up just a few feet away from where Reno hid. Reno scuttled a bit further into his hiding place, and watched his father closely.

Pete Collins was a stocky man whose red hair and pale coloring Reno inherited. Drink and hard living had made his face blotchy, his eyes bloodshot. Karla had once, in a drug induced stupor, told Reno he hadn't always been like this, that they had actually lived on another sector back when Reno had been a baby. But ever since Reno could remember, Pete was as he was now. There was no solidarity between Reno and his mother, to make things worse. No one stood up to Pete. If he beat Reno, Karla made a perfunctory effort at pulling him off the boy, and when it was Karla's turn to get beat, Reno ran outside to hide away as he was doing now.

Reno saw his father stumble, put a hand up on the wall to steady himself. His eyes, a dull, muddy brown, found Reno's, and a slow, cruel smile dawned on his father's lips. Reno made a small frightened noise in his throat and tried to make a dash for freedom. It was instantly crushed as Pete threw his half-full bottle of beer at the back of Reno's head. The boy stumbled for only a second, but it was enough for Pete.

He clamped his fingers viciously over Reno's collarbone. "Running away from me when I call for you?" he asked in a deceptively gentle voice. His fingers tightened sharply, and Reno screamed, a sound cut short by his father's hard slap, which rocked Reno's head to the side.

Pete now shook him hard, almost absentmindedly. "We gotta get to Geist's place, Reno. I gotta see the man over some money." He half led, half dragged Reno before him, shifting his hand from Reno's collarbone to the back of his shirt, pushing the boy when he slowed down and pulling him back when the boy tried to escape. Eventually they reached their destination.

Geist's place was a rundown bar, the proprietor of which moonlighted as a loanshark and drug pusher. Reno had been here before. Pete used him as an insurance of sorts. Once, in a rare good mood, Pete had told Reno he'd give the boy to Geist if he couldn't cough up the cash Geist demanded. Reno had almost laughed, but abruptly stopped when he saw Pete's dead serious expression. And Geist would do it. He'd take Reno and work him to the bone in any of his smaller, unsafe enterprises. This was the man to whom Pete owed so much money he'd had Reno selling drugs since he was a small child.

Inside Geist's it was dark, smelly and crowded, as loud men hooted and pawed at the waitresses. Pete went to a hallway at the back, and set Reno at the door. "I'll be in there for a minute. If I need you and you're not here when I come for you, God help you, you little whoreson, 'cause I'll have your fucking head on a stick" Reno nodded briskly. He remembered all too well the first, last and only time he'd ever run away from that spot. He'd been half-conscious for days.

As the door closed behind Pete, Reno leaned against the wall and settled in for a long wait. The door right across from him opened, and it was the dressing room for the waitresses, where they changed from their usual street clothes and changed into the skimpy tops and short skirts Geist demanded from them. Reno was unfazed.

He'd been desensitized to nudity by all the times he'd had to accompany his father to this place. Still, an unpleasant shiver went through his skinny body as he saw the girls as the customers never saw them. He saw girls without makeup, in regular clothes, smoking cigarettes and looking sullen or sad or laughing at the expense of some unkind patron.

Suddenly Reno heard a thud and a crash in the room behind him, and his father bellowed "Reno! Get in here now!" Reno ran into the room, where Geist's goons had grabbed Pete and were dragging him outside through a back door that led to the alley behind the bar. "There! There you go, Geist, works like a regular little mule, that one. Looks scrawny, but he's quick smart, and - oof!" His breath wheezed out as one of the goons put a fist against his stomach. Another thug grabbed Reno's hair.

"I don't care about your skinny-assed kid, Collins. You told me you had my money, and you don't have enough to put a fucking dent in your debt. " Cort spoke from behind a curtain of smelly cigar smoke "You're a liability, an expensive one. I tend to eliminate those before they give me more grief than they already have." He motioned towards the door "Take them outside, do what I told you."

The thugs dragged Pete and Reno outside, and proceeded to beat Pete thoroughly. Reno shut his eyes against the sight, but made no effort to escape, made no sound. When the beating ended, the thugs went back inside, after harshly telling Pete "Geist sez you have till next week, Collins."

Reno looked at his father and winced. Pete was a mess. There was blood all over his face, and bloody, torn, dirty clothes. He muttered something incoherently as Reno helped him to his feet. Unsteadily and excruciatingly slow, they made their way back to their house, where Pete collapsed into his chair, barely conscious. Karla looked at Reno dazedly; apparently she'd taken some drugs to ease the pain of her beating. "Geist's goons got him." She nodded uncertainly, and Reno left his parents to nurse their beatings. He needed to see a friendly face.

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He got to the brothel Cam lived in, running out back to her window. He peeked in for a quick look. Cam was with a 'customer', but he seemed just about done with Reno's friend. Reno felt as flush of arousal come over his face as he sat under the window outside, unwillingly listening to the sounds coming from the room. He'd begun feeling strangely for Cam recently, couldn't really put a name to it.

He heard the client finish with a groan and a swear, and waited for the sound of the closing door as he exited. Once the man left, Reno knocked on the window sill "Har-dee har har, I can see your _ass_!" he snickered, grinning. Cam laughed and motioned him to come into the room while she dressed, " 'Sup, Reno?"

"Nothin', well, Karla and Pete each got their asses handed to them, they're walking around like dis" He mimicked a movie zombie, dragging his feet and moaning wheezily. Cam laughed through her nose "Ouch. Glad to see you ain't beat too." Reno sat on the window sill, stretching "Yeah, me too. How 'bout you? That guy looked all awkward and shit." Cam threw a small red ball at him "You were looking!?" Reno caught the ball and scoffed "Hey, I remembered the last time I jumped in here without checking!"

Cam shrugged "Eh, I just do what I have to, same as you." The redhead cocked his head to the side "got anymore jobs tonight?" She took the ball from his hand "Nah, at least not till after 10 or something. You?" Reno shrugged "Nah, I already sold the stuff. Let's go eat, huh?" Cam arched an eyebrow "Can't wait for dinner?"

Reno flopped onto her bed, clutching his belly dramatically "Ugh, I'm _dying_, Camryn Varens, you pitiless whore!" Cam burst out laughing and grabbed his hands to pull him to his feet "Get up then, ya lumpy sack of crap." "Hey!" Reno protested, pulling hard on her hands so she fell into bed next to him.

After a few minutes of play-wrestling, they both sat up laughing in gasps and wheezes. "Ooh, you so totally copped a feel!" Cam swatted Reno's leg as he snickered and admitted "Yeah, I did. Let's go then, c'mon."

They jumped out the window and headed to "The Misty Hedge". Unlike its lofty name suggested, "The Misty Hedge" was a dingy cafeteria where one of the cooks fed children like Reno and Cam if they could put up with some occasional fondling. Kids usually decided they wanted to eat more than caring about being offended.

Reno knocked at the back door, and the cook, a tall, sallow man called Harv asked them "Hey, Reno. What, ya hungry?" Reno nodded, and Harv sighed "Its been a while since I saw ya. What, the whores're feeding ya now?" He looked accusingly at Cam, who glared right back. Thanks to her and Valeriana's feeding him, Reno no longer had to come here as much as he'd had to before he'd met her. Harv shrugged "It's no matter. Wait here." He went inside, and Reno looked at Cam, knowing she knew what he'd had to put through for Harv to 'miss' him. Cam clasped one of his hands in both of her own and squeezed, tipping him a wink. Reno smiled, and Cam was glad to see it.

Harv came back out with two paper plates with food. He handed them out and waved them away "You guys git, now. Joint's busy. Don't want customers seeing no scruffy looking kids." They both nodded and ate quickly, both to escape further admonishments as well as Harv himself.

After they ate, they walked out of the alley and into the main throughway. "I think my da- Pete's getting killed next week." Reno said in a as-a-matter-of-fact voice. Cam stopped walking "What? Why?" Reno wouldn't look at her, kept looking at the floor as he muttered "The money . . ." Cam stood inn front of him "Reno, look at me. What's going on?" Reno looked at her then, blue-green eyes locking onto violet ones. He told her everything, subconsciously knowing Cam would never hurt him, that his confidences were safe within her.

When he finished telling her everything, there was a moment of silence before Reno muttered "He tried to exchange me for his debt". Cam arched her eyebrows "What the fuck, Reno?!" He frowned "I know, right? He said I'd work like a little mule . . ." After a few seconds' silence, Reno said "What an asshole!" in the musing tones of one who has made a significant discovery.

Cam snickered despite herself, and Reno snickered as well. They kept snickering till Cam remarked "Hey, Reno, what's another word for mule? Ass!" Reno was whooping with laughter now "That's a donkey, ya dumbfuck!" Cam was laughing so hard she had to hang on to Reno to keep from falling. It was a bad idea, as Reno had apparently though to do the same with her. They ended up hanging onto each other. Surely it wasn't that big a joke. It was actually morbid of them to be making jokes at a time like this, but with the lives they led, and with the dismal futures they had before them, it was enough that they could have a good, honest laugh.

After the laughter tapered off, they walked around the slums, chatting up any other kid they knew. Before long, however, Cam groaned "Aah, shit, look, it's almost 9:30" Reno flicked the edge of her ear with his fingernail "Yeah, and you got a hot date to look forward to." Cam bit him on the arm, Reno yowling loudly. "Shut up. I hate having to do this." Cam mused as Reno rubbed his arm and replied "I hate my job too, Cammy. Listen, one of these days we'll get out of this dump, and do what we really wanna do."

Cam sighed, looking slightly saddened "When, Reno?" He frowned, "Soon, OK? I mean, it can't be this bad forever, right?" Now it was Cam who avoided his gaze as she said in a small voice "You'll forget me, once you get out of here." Reno stopped in his tracks, appalled "Wha-No! Why the hell would I do _that_?!" Cam shook her head "Who needs a stupid whore with him?" Reno made a small scoffing sound and said "Fuck that shit. You're coming with me. I won't forget you, OK?" She looked at him, eyes blazing "You promise?" He nodded, "I promise!" They were in front of the whorehouse now.

"See ya tomorrow, yeah?" Reno was actually beginning to move away from her before she pulled him back with her hand on his sleeve. Reno gave her a perplexed look, but Cam only smiled as she lightly fanned her hands over his shoulders. She leaned in and kissed him softly.

It was an awkwardly sweet moment for both of them. Reno had never been kissed by a girl before, and Cam had never kissed a boy of her own initiative. Indeed, had never wanted or even thought to kiss a boy as she kissed Reno then. This soft, almost chaste touching of lips was the first real kiss either had ever gotten.

Almost as quick as she'd initiated it, Cam stopped the kiss, stepping back from Reno. She smiled at him, blushing furiously, and ran into the house. Reno stood rooted to the spot, dazedly swaying a bit before the realization of just what happened sank in. Blushing a dark red to match his hair, Reno grinned and headed home.

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A/N : Hey guys! Thank you for reading. So, to avoid any confusion, here's a small explanation about the ages. In the first chapter, Reno and Cam wree both 5, until the end of the chapter when Cam's attitude changes. They're 7 by then. In the second chapter, the one split in two, the guys are maybe 9 or 10. And in this chapter, Reno's just turned 12, with Cam following close behind. Kinda precocious 12 year olds, right? I completely blame their environment! Anyway, what I wanted to show how Reno's already used to sex, drugs and violence, things no 12 year old should know about. Yeah. In a perfect world . . . as for the chapter opener, as well as when Cam first makes an appearance in the chapter . . . it really is horrifying what some children have to go through. My mom's a registered nurse in a pediatric hospital. Some of the things she's seen make policemen cry, I kid you not. I'm not much of an activist, but I really think we should raise awareness and take better care of our kids. Anyway, back to the chapter. Um, yeah, so Reno and Cam got their first kiss. Yay!! Ahem . . . The kids have begun feeling something for each other, but are a bit unprepared to deal with what they feel. And it was really effortless to write the slightly demented humor in this chapter. I really like how they've turned out so far. They understand each other with that weird telepathy best friends develop, and crack each other up like crazy people. As always, any advice, suggestion or comment, please give the little "Review" button some love.


	5. The Week After

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno or anything from the Final Fantasy universe. There, ya happy? -runs off weeping wildly- . . . -comes running back with eyes glinting diabolically- I see a lot of hits, but only one review! How am I going to know if you're liking the fic, or what I'm doing wrong, if you don't tell me about it? -sits next to the Review button, resignedly holding a sign that points at it saying 'Be nice, R/R'-

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A week passed, and with each passing day the mood in Reno's house worsened, thickening with the fear of what was to come. Karla sold what meager possessions they still had, down to the household mirror. Reno had sold as much drugs as he could, even risking going up on the Plate and to neighboring slum sectors. Pete tried several menial jobs around the slum, but they all knew it was never going to be enough, not for a man like Geist.

That last night before the end, Pete had been sober. Karla had sat in silence, then burst into tears and ran into the bedroom. Reno had sat there, feeling trapped and useless. He couldn't help his family, and even then he never knew whether he hated or loved them. He couldn't help his father, and he couldn't make his mother stop crying. "It's not my fault! It's been like this since I was born!" one side of him thought, while the other said "So fucking what? You're here, aren't you? _Do something_."

As the uncomfortable silence stretched, Reno sighed and asked "Why don't you run away?" Outside, the dogs were barking loudly, insistently. Someone yelled at them to shut up. Pete turned his head to look at Reno "I won't run, because I'd just fuck up like I've done here." He flexed his fists, the fists that had done so much to hurt him, but Reno didn't feel any menace from Pete. If anything, Pete looked old, a sad old man.

Pete went on in hushed tones, seemingly talking to himself more than to Reno "Sometimes that's all a person _can_ do, like it's their life circumstance. They just fuck everything up. They might get another chance, but then they just fuck up, again and again, until someone puts them out of their goddamn misery."

Reno didn't really agree with this. He always saw himself escaping the slums, living up on the Plate, remembering his past life here as if it were a bad dream. Outside, the dogs still barked. Reno heard a loud thump, a dog's scream of pain, and a woman's shrill, cawing laughter.

"I can tell you don't understand what I'm saying." Pete sighed and sat back in his chair "That's OK, though. You will, someday." He chuckled mirthlessly "That is, if Geist doesn't kill you and Karla as well. Go to bed, Reno. Leave me alone now."

Reno obeyed, but as he passed beside his father, Pete suddenly reached out and grabbed Reno's wrist. Reno winced slightly, and a fleeting, sad look came over Pete's face. Reno relaxed when Pete didn't strike him, and looked into his father's eyes. Pete returned the stare, then released Reno. Reno knew, just knew, he'd never see his father again, and his eyes welled up as he ran to his tiny room, furious and sad about what could have been, should have been, but never was.

In the middle of the night, a shot rang through the small house, reverberating in the darkness. Reno went outside, not wanting to, but nonetheless needing to. He reached the chair where he'd last seen Pete. He was still there, in a manner of speaking. He'd shot himself in the head.

Karla was already there, and she collapsed to the floor, keening. She grabbed one of Pete's hands that was hanging lax at his side, and pressed it to her cheek, still crying. It was a hand that had hurt her more than caressed her, but at that moment Karla stroked and kissed it as if it was the hand of a cherished lover.

Reno angrily wiped his own tears away, thinking "Serves you right, you mean old fucker. But why'd you do it? What about mom and me?" Seeing Karla like she was, Reno knew it was going to be up to him to deal with the situation. He called the slum morgue, but not before taking Pete's gun from where it lay on his lap.

A couple of hours later, the body had been taken away to the slum morgue. Reno had told the workers to just cremate Pete, and "just do whatever you want with the ashes. We don't want 'em." Karla was also more composed now. She'd dipped into her own stash of drugs, and had a vacant, glazed look as she stared off into distances Reno couldn't fathom, could never reach. He felt emotionally numb, and dozed off.

He woke sometime later when he heard the door being pounded on. Geist's men where there, come to collect. Reno looked around. It seemed to be midmorning, and Karla was looking even more stoned than before. Reno grabbed her shoulder, lightly shaking her. "Ma, Geist, the men- " he stopped abruptly, horrified as, with a strangled sound, Karla turned her head and vomited.

As much as he hated it, he knew the only chance Karla had was for him to ask the men outside for help. Reno opened the door and the men strode in past him, pushing him back into the house. He stumbled and fell backwards onto his butt. One of the men laughed, but the other roughly asked "Where's your old man, kid?" Reno stood quickly, and looked at the man "He killed himself last night. Please, help my mom."

The man who'd laughed at Reno made a contemptuous 'hmph' sound at the news of Pete's demise, but now he looked at Karla. " 'Sup with her?" The second man shrugged nonchalantly "I'd say she's OD'ed on something." Reno looked at him "Please, help."

The laugher snapped "Shut up, kid. Our boss lost a lot of cash because of your father. We mean to have it one way or another." Following this, they ransacked the house, taking anything that could be turned for a profit. It was pathetically little.

Reno looked at his mom. She'd stopped throwing up, but was breathing erratically. Suddenly, her whole body quivered, then stilled. "Ma?" Reno asked, again shaking her shoulder lightly. Her head fell forward with terrible finality.

In less than 24 hours, Reno was an orphan. The determined wretchedness of his situation was wrenched into him at the sight of his mother's dead body, and his breath hitched, eyes filling. The laugher scoffed "Tough luck, kid", and they both left.

Once again, the men from the morgue came at Reno's call. One of them had been there to take Pete away earlier, and commented "Holy shit, kid. Sucks to be you." Reno gave a sad, bitter laugh "Nah, you think?" The man took out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one for himself, then, as a second though, offered one to Reno. Reno took it, and lit it up. He'd smoked before, and tried to drag the smoke deep into his lungs. He'd never done that, and choked a bit.

The man asked him "So whatcha going to do now?" Reno shrugged "I dunno." He really didn't. He felt hollow. The man gave him a card "Listen, don't get the wrong impression. I feel bad for you. This place, it's like some kind of shelter for orphans. There's food, and if you get there early enough, beds." Reno took the card, muttering "Thanks." He pocketed the card, and finished smoking his cigarette.

The man finished also, and stood "Gotta go, kid. Take care. Things are only as bad as you make them, you know." Reno pointed towards the body bag containing his mother "They made it plenty bad. Both of them." The man looked at Reno "But you're not them. You're you." He left, and Reno was finally alone. He felt so tired, so weary of this endless day full of death. He curled in his small bed and tried to sleep, to dream up a solution to his problems.

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Cam had heard from customers and the girls themselves that something awful had happened at Reno's house. Still, she couldn't get away from the brothel till the early afternoon. She sprinted to Reno's house, then stopped abruptly as she saw from where she stood how the door stood ajar. "No . . ." she though, looking at the dead-seeming house.

She went in, and wrinkled her nose in disgust at the smell of spent gunpowder and old blood. Cam looked at Pete's chair, then quickly looked away as she saw the fan of blood at the back of it, where the head usually rested. Her throat was tight with worry. Surely if Reno was here, he'd have come out to her, she thought.

Cam went to his room and let out a breath in relief as she saw him sleeping fitfully, tossing around and mumbling. She shook him awake, and Reno woke with a startled jump. When he saw it was Cam, he rubbed his eyes wearily and told her "Yeah, so I'm an orphan now, don't ya know?" Cam whispered "Reno, what happened?"

The redhead looked at her, then looked outside his door, and almost growled "The selfish fuckers. They both killed themselves. Pete shot himself in his fucking chair, and Karla OD'ed, and now I'm all alone and _just what the fuck am I gonna do by myself_?!"

Cam tried to hug him, but he pulled away, his breath catching in his throat. "You're not alone, Reno" she said quietly. Reno gave a small sniffle, and Cam kissed his cheek. He began to cry, doubling forward with his face in his hands "Holy shit, Cammy, what am I gonna do?" Cam soothed him, crying a bit also, "We'll figure something out, you're the clever one. Let's go eat, please, Reno, get it together, let's go, come on, honey."

A while later, they were at the 'Misty Hedge'. Cam didn't want to take Reno anywhere overwhelming right now, and neither did she want Harv to pester Reno with his remarks. She left Reno at the alley's corner and went to get their food. A while later she reemerged with 2 plates of food. Reno never asked, she never told.

They ate in silence. After a while, Cam asked "what are you gonna do about the leeches, Reno?", referring to the people who liked to take advantage of homes where disaster had struck, gutting the house and, if unlucky enough, trafficking the kids left. Reno didn't answer her; he'd been in a self-absorbed stupor of sorts since he'd stopped crying back at his house.

"Damnit, Reno, you're being a fucking pansy! You're gonna make it easy for them to rip you to pieces." she said, angry at his apathy and scared for him. "I'll kill anyone who tries." Reno said tonelessly.

After eating, they went back to Reno's house, and were dismayed to see a man snooping around outside it. "Whaddaya want?" Reno asked. The man turned around to face them, and Reno recognized him as Laugher. "I'm s'posed to take ya to Geist's. Your folks took the coward's way out, and Geist wants to talk to you about settling the debt." Reno glared at the man "That's bullshit. Leave us alone."

The man gave a short, disbelieving laugh, then lunged at Reno. Reno had had enough of adults pushing him around lately, and instead of despair or loneliness, all he felt was a rage as terrible as he'd never felt it before. He dodged the man's lunge and quickly stuck out his foot.

The thug fell forward, cursing savagely. Cam yelled something, but Reno was past hearing in his boiling fury. He made a mistake. Reno went to where the man was kneeling to get up, and started pummeling him over the head.

The man reared up and grabbed Reno around the neck and stood, lifting Reno and throttling him. Reno grabbed around for something, anything. He couldn't reach the small pocketknife he always carried in his pocket.

Cam was screaming now, screaming for help that never came. She bent and grabbed a good-sized rock and hurled it with all her might at the back of Laugher's head. He stumbled upon impact and released Reno to feel the back of his head, where the rock had struck and blood flowed freely now.

He turned around and looked at Cam, "You bitch. You stupid, fuckin' whore, d'ya know what's gonna happen to you now?" Laugher pulled out a gun and pointed it squarely at her face.

Reno had fallen to the ground, coughing and relearning how to breather. He looked around. The streets were curiously deserted. He saw Laugher take out a gun and point it at Cam. He reached into his pocket and took out the small knife. It looked pathetically small, but Reno knew he had to at least try.

He yelled loudly to get the man's attention, and as the man turned to look at him, Reno ducked and stabbed the man in the meaty part of his thigh, twisting the knife viciously as he'd seen men do in street brawls, before pulling it out.

The man screamed and bent over his hurt leg, trying to stanch the bleeding. Reno took a small second to look at Cam, and the man again grabbed him by the throat, bellowing in rage. Reno lunged reflexively, sinking the 4 inch blade in the side of the man's neck.

Laugher instinctively released Reno, and the boy's falling weight on the still sunken blade finished him off. Blood gushed out, and the man clapped his hand to the wound. He looked dazedly at Reno and Cam, and took a few stumbling steps before collapsing to the floor where he died. Reno thought he'd gone deaf, but he gradually began hearing things.

The first thing he heard was his heart thundering in his ears. Then he heard his own ragged breathing, coming in heaves. Finally he heard cam, shrieking his name like a fire bell. She ran to his side and shook him, speaking rapidly. He couldn't understand a single thing she was saying, and thought he snickered a bit.

Cam had never been so scared in her life. Reno had just killed a man. With her help. The man had no compunctions about killing Reno or herself, but still, they killed him. She was both glad and terrified that Reno had triumphed over him. Now, she was telling him to move, to say anything. His glazed look and short laugh scared her, and she gave him a hard slap.

Reno felt her stinging palm print on his cheek, and suddenly he could think again. He had to act quickly, before the gawkers came out. He got up and turned the man over, Cam making a small retching sound at the blood and the man's shocked expression. The boy searched Laugher's body and found 168 gil, an Iron Bangle fitted with a single Lightning material, and the gun he'd pulled on Cam. Reno grabbed the treasures and grabbed Cam's wrist, pulling her into his house. Once there, Reno spread everything out on the floor and examined it.

Cam was still agitated, and asked Reno "Whatcha gonna do now, huh? Geist is gonna come looking for you when he misses that guy." Reno had made a snap decision in his mind, and voiced it for Cam's benefit, "Not if I join Cort's gang." Cam gaped at him, "Reno, you can't! That's too dangerous. Besides, what's to stop Geist from just buying you offa Cort?" Reno gave her a slightly crazed look "I'll just have to work extra hard on that first impression then, won't I, girly girl?"

Cam frowned at him "You're crazy. You're gonna get yourself killed." Reno put everything he found in his pockets, and stuck the gun into the waistband of his pants. "No I'm not. You'll see." He went to her, and on an impulse, kissed her. She answered the kiss, and put her arms around him, giving him a squeeze. "Be careful, please?" she pled, talking quietly into his ear. He returned the squeeze, replying "Don't worry. Go home, OK?" He let her go and left the house, his mind already formulating a plan.

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A/N : So, here we have it, Reno's true debut into the life of violence. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but again, this was turning out too long for me. As for Karla and Pete, I felt kinda sorry for them. Just a bit, mind you. They did fuck up Reno, almost beyond reasoning, though he seems stable enough. Also, I guess things are going to move a bit faster once Reno's joined the gang. I want to get to when he makes it into the Turks! Yay for the spiffy suits and the "go to hell" attitude! 


	6. Of Gangs and Endearment

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Reno or the Sector 3 slums from Midgar. That belongs to Square Enix. The only thing that belongs to me here is the plot and Cam. The lucky, lucky bitch . . . oh, you'll see what I mean.

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Later that same afternoon, after he left Cam, Reno went to The Blazin' Flames territory, at the eastern side of the Sector 3 slums. TBF was the gang most closely rivaling Geist's criminal efforts. They mostly took in young males for several reasons. Protection, such as Reno sought, was offered, as well as a sense of belonging. Also, it didn't hurt that young males were fuller of foolish bravado than older men, and were therefore likelier to incur in risks others didn't.

The gang's current leader was a 25 year old named Cort, and he tended to be rash in his decisions. He did, however, have big plans for TBF, wanting to absorb other lesser criminal schemes in the slums into the gang to control the flow of drugs, money and prostitution in Sector 3.

Reno marched into this no man's land, making his favorable intentions to TBF clear by tying a red and black bandanna around his left arm. As he reached Cort's residence, he was stopped by a lesser, junior member, "Whaddaya want, kid?"

Reno looked past the guy. The door led into a small lobby of sorts, and Reno could see other people waiting to take their business to Cort. "I wanna talk to Cort, man, what do you think?" Reno said, tilting his head back a bit to look the guy in the eye. The teen looked down at Reno "Yeah? And what's he gotta hear from you? Go talk to Ashe, he's outside-" Reno interrupted "Man, I don't wanna talk to some other freak; I wanna talk to the man." The teen looked angry now "You shut the fuck up about Ashe, kid! Now get the fuck out of here."

Ashe was Cort's right hand man, a 17 year old kid who's worked his way up in the gang hierarchy until that moment, when he was sure Cort was soon to announce him as the gang's next leader.

Reno left, only to come back a while later and watch for Cort to leave his house. When he finally did, a few hours later, Reno was ready and keyed up. Using the Lightning material he had, he caused a commotion by electrocuting Ashe and calling out "Hey! Hey, Cort! I got information for you, good stuff you won't get anywhere else."

After initially pulling a gun and aiming it at the boy, Cort grinned in spite of himself at the way this kid had so boldly electrocuted Ashe. Cort gestured at Ashe, who had gotten to his feet looking pissed, silently ordering him to hold Reno. He did so roughly, hitting Reno hard upside the head. Cort frisked the boy, looking impressed with his weapon arsenal.

"Two guns, a Lightning material, a knife, whatcha been up to, punk?" he asked. Reno merely chuckled "You really wanna know? My dad fucked up big with Geist, and now he's dead, only that when one of Geist's guys came for me, I killed his ass to get out here looking for you, to give you some information." Cort took up Reno's weapons and gave them over to Ashe "What do I care what some brat wants to tell me? I got at least a dozen informants." Reno shrugged "I don't look very threatening, do I? You have no idea what gets talked about around kids, man."

Cort nodded slowly. He'd been trying to eliminate Geist for ages now, and it really seemed like this kid had something to say. Either that, or he had a serious death wish. Cort nodded at Ashe, who let go of Reno with a short shove. "Let's go back inside for a minute, see what this bird sings."

After hearing Reno talk, Cort thought much of it was gossip heard from waitresses who slept with Geist's high rollers, or from people angry enough at Geist to talk, just not to his face. Even so, Reno occasionally let drop a clue Cort thought he could dance for. It was all information Reno had gathered over the years as his father grew more and more indebted to Geist, and had to recur to other, lesser crime bosses in the slums. Still, he had to know "Kid, why're you doing this? If I decide I've heard enough and turn you out, word gets around quick, and you'll be killed in a hurry."

Reno gave a small laugh "Not if I get a chance to sing some more." Cort merely looked at him, "What are you saying, boy?" Reno lowered his voice "I know stuff about this gang, about you, that other people would kill for." Cort laughed. "The balls on this one!" he thought jovially, although when he spoke he did so with condescension, "You thinking of threatening me, kid? Who're you gonna talk to? Surely not Geist, who probably has ordered you killed on sight." Reno gave a minute shrug "I dunno, man, ShinRa Company has a pretty decent orphanage up on the Plate. Who knows what people might want to listen to me up there?" Cort didn't really feel threatened, and stared at the boy.

Reno looked at him, squarely in the face. In his eyes Cort saw a boy who'd done an awful lot of growing in a seriously short time. "Listen, Cort" Reno said, "My whole family died less than 24 hours ago. I killed Geist's man this afternoon." He gave a short, cynical laugh, "I know I don't stand a chance by myself, and I though my best bet was with you guys, 'cause the only other gang is Geist's, and I don't think he'll open his doors to me."

Cort looked at Reno for a long moment, a long finger tracing one of the two red tattoos etched on his cheeks, signs of his high gang hierarchy. Reno looked fearlessly back at him. "Alright, kid, you made your point. Some of that info was pretty good. Let's work something out."

The deal they worked out was that Cort would acknowledge Reno as part of TBF, and thus offer his protection, while Reno would continue selling drugs and gleaning information on the other bosses, paying particular attention to what concerned Geist. Reno worked harder than he ever had that first year, enduring anonymous death threats, shootouts, and a brutal 'jumping in' beating, the worst beating he'd ever had. It was more of a short torture session than an actual beating, and he was not allowed to heal with material help.

Still, he gathered in that first year information important enough to earn some of Cort's trust. Cort had seen the looming darkness behind Reno's eyes, and wanted to take advantage of the redhead's information gathering skills before he burned out, got careless and got killed.

Ashe, however, hated Reno with a passion. He'd worked hard for years to get to where he was, close to being Cort's second in command. Yet "here comes this skinny shitheap, running up to Cort and snitching on everyone he'd ever worked for" Ashe thought, spitefully remembering how Reno had electrocuted him.

Now, whenever Cort was planning to take over a smaller boss, he called for both Reno and Ashe, Reno for the information vital for understanding how a boss could be overtaken, and Ashe for the plan execution.

Over the course of Reno's first year and a half in TBF, Cort had absorbed many of the smaller bosses into the gang. The only real challenge was still Geist, although he was slowly but surely losing headway in the Sector 3 slums.

Still, Ashe wanted the facial tattoos that would officially mark him as Cort's chosen leader in waiting for TBF, and he saw Reno as a challenger for that role the moment Cort had said "Let's work something out."

Another thing Ashe hated about Reno was the freedom Reno got. He got to live in a small house by himself, safe through his connections to Cort. "Almost as if Cort were kinda afraid of the little fucker" Ashe thought.

Things began to stabilize for Reno after nearly 2 years in the gang. He did what he was told, escalating from petty drug selling to arson, theft and kidnappings. His rank grew in the gang through unspoken agreement, as others saw how Cort had come to rely on Reno's dependability and, most importantly, his determination to do whatever he had to stay alive.

While Reno had been working his way into the gang, Cam saw him seldom. The brothel she worked and lived in was in Geist's turf, and needless to say, Reno was very much a persona non grata there. Still, she and Reno sought each other out, Reno sneaking to her window as he'd done for years, and her sometimes going out to meet him at his small house.

On an occasion particularly sweet in both their minds, Reno had asked Cam over. He'd gotten them dinner, and as Cam went into the house, she showed him a bottle of wine she'd managed to buy. They embraced fondly, having missed each other for the few weeks they hadn't seen each other before that day.

They had changed almost drastically, in that eerie way adolescents often do. Reno was much taller, although Cam still though him skinny, and had become a pretty decent street brawler out of necessity. Cam had also gotten a bit taller, and the hints of curves she'd had before had begun to fill out.

They ate while catching up on the weeks past, and after dinner, an awkward silence ensued. Cam, through her forced profession, understood some of the body language, and suddenly stammered "I-I need a drink." Reno nodded hurriedly "Yeah, me too."

They drank in silence, but when half the bottle of wine was gone, Reno timidly asked "Cam, I wanna ask you something serious." Cam, perplexed by his sudden shyness, asked "Sure, hon, what's on your mind?"

Reno looked away from her and cleared his throat, and Cam was almost sure he was blushing. "I-I asked around, and . . . well . . . " he trailed off, pushing an envelope into her hand.

Cam opened the envelope. Inside was gil. Cam counted it. 130 gil. Exactly what customers were charged at the brothel.

As the realization of what Reno was trying to say sank in, Cam also blushed a deep, brilliant red. "You mean you want to . . . you know . . ." she began, and Reno replied " . . . yeah . . ." She smiled and put the money back in Reno's hand. "Silly birdbrain, you don't have to pay me" she teased before tossing back another glass of wine.

Reno shook his head "No, no, I don't wanna get you in trouble or anything-" Cam cut him off "Shut up already! You're my bestest buddy, you know, and besides, it's not like I'm giving you a freebie in the brothel, at work." With that, she leaned into him and kissed him soundly on the mouth, her fingers fanning out on his upper arms.

He kissed her back stiffly, not with the same ease he'd had before he asked her. "You've never done this before, honey?" Cam asked quietly, a smile tugging the corners of her lips. Reno had the grace to blush again as he shook his head " . . . no . . ." She winked at him and pulled him to his feet "I'll be gentle . . . noob!" Reno snickered and followed her to his bedroom.

Cam took advantage of Reno's inexperience to explore and do things she'd never been even remotely interested in doing for the clients at the brothel. It was by far the best sex she'd ever had. She was with someone she cared about, and who cared about her in turn. After so many anonymous, affectionless encounters, Cam had finally learned how infinitely sweet intimacy could be.

It was as if it were her first time as well, as they engaged in random silliness, when Reno fumbled endlessly with her bra, almost forgetting about sex in his struggle and determination against "this fucking strappy thing". They had laughed themselves into stitches when, no sooner had they settled on the bed, Reno sliding himself between her legs, that Cam got a terrific leg cramp. As she yowled and cursed, Reno began laughing at her, forgetting his initial bashfulness at her seeing him naked. He'd sat on the bed and howled with laughter as Cam swore and twitched, beginning to laugh as well. Also foreign to them was the affection they gave and received. Neither of them received much affection in their current lives, and enjoyed immensely what they were getting now.

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A/N: Yay, adolescent booty! But seriously, everyone in the FF VII universe seems very precocious. I mean, kids can join the ShinRa armed forces at 14! Besides, a huge slice of sexually active teens start out at around 13-14, the ages I made out Reno and Cam to be at that stage in this chapter. Also, I did some research into gangs for this chapter. Some of that stuff is pretty . . . I don't really know how to say it. The leader mentality in gangs, the kids' desperation to find a safe niche in a social group. And besides, there are some really bad gangs out there who specifically look for kids, for the reasons I mentioned in the fic. Anyhow, let me know what you think, and I'll see you guys soon!

PS: A special Shout Out to Lexa Chan, often there with a friendly and helpful PM or review!


	7. Fluffiness!

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno or the Sector 3 slums, only my OC.

Also, sorry for the delay, I finished with my finals just today. . . and my brain was tired this last week. Anyway, onwards! Here's some WAFFy, fluffy nonsense for you guys.

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Cam gave Reno a small flat box decorated with shiny paper and a big bow. "C'mon, open it!" she clamored impatiently as Reno didn't take the box, instead eyeing it warily. It was his 16th birthday, and they'd spent the previous night together before Reno going out that night to the nightclubs he helped Cort run.

"I swear, Camryn if it's another joke . . ." he threatened her good-naturedly taking the box away from her and stripping the paper off. "It's not!" she defended herself. The previous present she'd given him had been a big can of nuts. When Reno opened it, about a dozen brightly colored paper wrapped spring snakes leaped out, making him shout out loud.

Reno took off the big, fluffy bow and put it on Cam's head as he opened the box to find ". . . a pair of boxers?" he muttered, taking them out. They were strange, to say the least. They were white, with what seemed to be a parade of multicolored chocobos in various moods. There were sprinting gold chocobos, blue chocobos flapping their wings, and green chocobos with open beaks. On the waistband, there was printed a huge "WARK!!" Reno burst out laughing "Dammit, Cammy, what the fuck!?"

Cam shrugged "Eh, they reminded me of you." Reno arched an eyebrow "How exactly does a chocobo remind you of me?" She gave him a mischievous look "Oh, I don't know, really. Maybe it was the beady eyes, or the skinny legs . . ." Reno gasped "Oh, fuck you!", tossing the box at her. Cam laughed, batting the box away before it hit her, "Nah, you're gorgeous!" Reno nodded, looking satisfied, when she asked "So, you like 'em?"

She smiled "I knew you would. Either way, I had fun shopping for them. Wanna know how I knew they'd fit you?" Reno again nodded, tracing a finger over the soft fabric. Cam continued "I tried them on. We're pretty much the same size, wouldn't you know. Kinda tight around the butt, but they fit me, so I knew they'd fit you." Reno snickered "Yeah, you got a big ol' booty." Then he looked at her lasciviously, "I'd like to see you wear these as I usually wear them. You know, all nice and naked with only these."

Cam winked at him, issuing a challenge, "Only if you wear some of my underwear, as I usually wear them." Reno scoffed "Not fuckin' likely!" Cam insisted, pleading, "Aw, c'mon, Reno, it'll be fun! I'll wear your boxers, you wear some girly undies, and it'll be fun!"

Reno went over to her, "Ain't no way in hell I'm wearing-" he slid his fingers beneath the waistband of her pants and pulled it back to look "-a purple thong!? What is _wrong_ with you!?"

Cam pouted, pleading, "C'mon, hon! It doesn't have to be these. You get to choose, and I'll wear these and nothing else. And, as a special, bonus, one-time-offer, I'll toss in a few special, um, _favors_, just for you." Reno bit his lower lip, thinking it through. "So I get to choose?" he asked. Cam nodded, beginning to smile. Reno nodded once, "Deal. I'll change in your bedroom, you change in the bathroom, and we'll both come out at the same time. Ready? Go!"

Cam tore out to the bathroom, and Reno to her room. He quickly raided through her underwear, then decided, "Ah, fuck it . . .", selecting a ridiculous pair of lacy green panties. Reno undressed and pulled the lacy garment on, beginning to laugh at himself.

Meanwhile, Cam had already changed into, as she promised, nothing but the chocoboxers. Still, she had one last trick up her sleeve. "One big surprise for Reno", she thought.

"I'm ready, Reno!" he heard her call from the bathroom, "I'm coming out!" Reno stopped at the door, already twisting the doorknob "So am I. Ready?" Cam yelled back, "Go!" Reno threw open the door and struck a weird pose. Then he was blinded by a series of quick, bright flashes.

Cam stood there, merrily snapping away at him with an instant picture camera, cackling like a lunatic. "Aarrgh!" Reno screamed, chasing her. Cam screamed as well, trying to escape from him. He caught her in the living room, where they collapsed into nearly senseless heaps of laughter.

"They look good on you!" Cam managed between wheezes, "But where's the matching bra?" Reno wheezed back "Couldn't find it. Decided that I'd rather have my jumblies bounce around instead of getting a bra that didn't match." That cracked them up again.

Eventually the laughs subsided, leaving them short of breath, with flushed faces and aching sides, and still in their switched underwear. They sat on the couch, or at least, Reno did. Cam lay on her back, head propped up against Reno's leg. Reno took the camera from her hand, and snapped a close up picture of her face, finishing the film.

He decided this was probably his favorite picture of Cam. In it she looked vibrant, young and happy, her cheeks still faintly pink with laughter and a lovely smile on her lips. She'd also taken several pictures of him, especially liking one where Reno roguishly winked at her while stretching his arms over his head.

Reno put the camera away and twirled a finger playfully in their hair, "You know, you gotta destroy those pictures of me in undies. If those get out, I'll never get any street cred." She nodded, "I know. But there's a few in there I want to keep, you can't see the undies in those. Besides, I don't know what your problem is, you look good in those!" Reno gnashed his teeth and pulled her lock of hair as Cam snickered, "They bring out your eyes!"

Reno made her laugh some more when he conspiratorially looked around, then back at her, theatrically whispering "Thing is, they're comfy! If they were a bit roomier up front, I'd wear them all the time!"

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A/N: I swear, those kids are like catnip to one another. They make each other ever so slightly demented. Besides being kind of fluffy, I wanted to give a nod at the game's playful, gentle (sometimes) gender bending. Remember Cloud at Don Corneo's? I made him _so_ pretty for that mission XD ! But then there was also Mukki, and that dude from the gym, Big Bro. Anyways, dark times lie ahead for Reno and Cam, and I though I'd give you something fun to make it better. Read and review, please! 


	8. Pain

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno or the Sector 3 slums, only my OC.

Tiny A/N: Finally, a nice little leap towards Reno's adulthood! Some progression, and our little Reno is ever closer to becoming a Turk (you'll see . . . maybe next chapter or so . . .). Warning: very violent scenes ahead!

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Nearly 5 years had passed since that day when Reno, desperate for his personal safety, had entered Blazin' Flames territory as a vulnerable boy. The 12 year old weakling had become a 17 year old, high profile gang member. Almost 5 years in which Reno shot, beat and blackmailed people, stole, lied and cheated, all to keep himself in Cort's good graces as he sought to become one of TBF's top dogs. 

At first, Reno killed people only when he had to. He'd thrown up at his first time torturing someone, and had felt depressed and guilty over having to blackmail, beat or kidnap a person. Still, he'd had to toughen himself up in a hurry, as Ashe was deeply envious and constantly pointed out Reno's flaws to Cort.

Cort, who'd begun gesturing at picking either Ashe or Reno as his replacement during the previous year, kept the two youths constantly guessing. They had continued competing for the gang's leadership, but had settled for an uneasy truce. Ashe had been in the gang much longer than Reno, but Reno had provided most of the useful information and careful planning that allowed TBF to absorb the other, smaller Sector 3 gangs. When pressed for details, Reno hinted at having informers in high places, maybe even people in ShinRa were giving Reno his tip-offs.

Cort had come to his decision a few months earlier, and Reno wore the twin red tattoos that signified his role as emergent gang leader, second only to Cort himself. Ashe took it very badly when the only markings he got was the 'TBF' burn-brand on his forearm, just as Reno had it. The brand was only given to very high-ranking members.

Ashe had, however, persisted in exploiting any weakness Reno exhibited, and while Reno toughened up, Ashe still had him followed. Originally, Reno had felt harassed, hunted. But as Cort told him, "If ya can't stand the heat, get the fuck outta the kitchen, yeah?". Reno began then to dispatch these spies Ashe sent after him, finishing them off with an angry viciousness that made it hard for Ashe to find volunteers to spy on the redhead.

Reno had evolved, changed from a scared teen to a ruthless, efficient (and if he said so himself, creative) killer. He changed from a person who tended to evade personal confrontations into a guy that, given the occasion, could surrender to the most violent of instincts, and not only would he start a fight, but end it with such brutality and speed that he earned his tattoos and branding in less years than it had taken Ashe to receive just the brand.

Still, no matter how much he changed, or into what, he never forgot about Cam. As he moved up in the gang, he took it onto himself to move her up also. She had changed as well, from a helpless child prostitute into one of the lead exotic dancers in one of Cort's nightclubs, down in the slum's red light district.

She lived in a tiny house in the district, close to the club. Although it was very small, it filled her with enormous satisfaction that it was her place, and Reno would often come and stay over. Since the house had belonged to someone who owed Reno a big favor, she had it nearly for free, and Cam always sent her mother nearly half her earnings at the nightclub.

The fact that Reno was quite obviously on her side was very helpful, as it prevented people from trying to take advantage or abuse her. Still, this situation also backfired often, especially when Ashe became aware of the connection between her and Reno, and begun to have her followed and threatened.

The very worst incident against her had been the day after Reno had gotten his facial tattoos.

Ashe and three other men had beaten and raped her, drugging her against her will to make her helpless against the abuse. Living in the crime-ridden part of the slums, she'd been raped before, but never this violently. Ashe had vented his considerable anger against Reno on her. "Let's see how Reno likes his favorite whore, now that I'm done with her" Ashe had sneered contemptuously at the drugged and violated teen.

A few hours later, she'd become sufficiently conscious and self-aware enough to wish she were still drugged. One of her eyes was swollen shut, her lips were cut and were still seeping blood, and her cheeks were puffy. The rest of her body seemed a bloody ruin.

She had borne bites, bruises and cigarette burns all over her arms, legs, chest and back. Her genitals were in such a riot of pain she knew she was lacerated. After all, there were so many things a woman could be raped with.

Cam slowly dragged herself into the shower, shakily standing only long enough to turn on the water jet, then slowly slid down to the shower stall floor. This was how Reno found her when he came over later that evening.

He'd called earlier, but she hadn't answered. That didn't worry him. What did worry him immensely was how her door was unlocked while the lights inside were off. Reno went in quietly, his gun drawn. The state in which he found her usually tidy living room filled his belly with lead.

Everything was in disarray, many of her things broken. There were bottles, cigarette butts and drug baggies on the floor. There were several small puddles, of blood and vomit, among other things. The smell in the air was of spent adrenaline, sweat, blood. Reno became aware of the sound of running water, and ran into her bathroom, steeling himself for the worst.

He was terribly unprepared for what he found: Cam, raped and severely beate3n, unconscious in the shower stall. The hot water had run out a while earlier, soaking her in water as cold as the blood in Reno's blood felt in his veins.

"Oh, fuck" he groaned agitatedly, turning off the water, then implored "C'mon Cammy, wake up, let me know you're there." She was unresponsive. Reno fished in his pockets and found a low level Restore material, using it to cast a simple Cure on her and cursing himself for not bringing a more potent one.

Cam groaned weakly, and when Reno again touched her, she gave a small despairing cry and tried feebly to bat his hands away. "Baby, baby, it's me, it's Reno, look at me" Reno pled, kneeling to try to pick her up and not hurt her. She muttered through numb, swollen lips "They wouldn't stop, they drugged me, and I begged and everything and they didn't stop."

Reno tried to swallow past the knot of frustration, worry and anger in his throat "It's OK now, baby" and managed to stand her up, leaning heavily against the shower wall as she muttered "No, no, nothing's OK, Reno . . ." His brow knitted miserably as he toweled her off, seeing the extent of the damage done to her. Reno's fresh facial marks smarted and throbbed as his blood rose to his face, recognizing what Ashe had done to Cam. And he knew it had been Ashe, without Cam telling him.

Reno didn't feel hatred against Ashe right that moment. He was more concerned with Cam, to make sure she'd be OK, that her pain was eased. Still, "Ashe is gonna get his," Reno thought darkly before sighing loudly in frustration. He couldn't do anything to Ashe himself; Cort forbade his lieutenants fighting each other, at least directly. And Reno, unlike Ashe, had no desire to cause harm to anybody special to Ashe, even if the violent man did have someone.

Cam was as clean and dry as she was going to get right then. Reno half walked, half carried her to bed, laying her down gently. She winced with pain, and almost reflexively Reno made the motion to lay next to her. Cam jumped a bit, then begged "Don't, Reno. I don't think I can . . . I'm sorry . . .don't, please . . ." Reno swallowed thickly, and sighed "OK. Ok. I'll be in the living room. Call me if you need anything." She nodded with her eyes closed, and Reno covered her with a light blanket and left.

He could see more clearly now what they'd done to her, and set himself to cleaning her living room. "Everything they did to her . . . it's all my fault, because she's my friend and I got these fucking marks on me" Reno though grimly. He put together a tentative list of names and descriptions to run by Cam when she was fully awake. Maybe he couldn't touch Ashe, but the ones who'd helped him hurt Camryn like this were just so much meat walking around . . .

An hour or so later, and everything was more or less as it should be. It was clean, and the furniture was where it belonged. Reno prepared to sleep on her sofa, taking off his shoes. He decided to check up on her once more, as well as to find a sheet and a pillow for himself. He also wanted to try and cast another Cure on her.

When he opened her door, he saw she was turned on her side, facing away from him. "Cam, it's me, OK?" he muttered, and she didn't acknowledge. He cast the Cure, and fetched himself a small pillow. As he turned to leave, she gave a small sniffle and said his name.

Reno put down what he was holding and lay down gently beside her, facing her. She was crying. "Cam, it's all my fault, I'm so sorry-" he began but Cam dragged herself to him and sobbed. Reno put his arm around her, trying to soothe her and failing miserably.

"I was s-so sc-scared, I thought I-I was gonna d-die, and y-you ne-never came, I-I hoped you'd come by a-and s-save me, but y-you never sh-showed," she cried, stammering with the force of her broken sobs.

Reno felt like shit, and all he could do was comfort her minutely, rubbing her arm with his hand. She cried herself to sleep, her tears soaked onto Reno's shirt, his skin. Reno didn't sleep for a long time, with dark feelings of guilt and anger whirling inside him.

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A/N: Ugh, I nearly felt as bad as Reno while writing this, having Cam suffer through something like this. But, as I mentioned at the very first chapter, I want to try and capture some of the grittiness of slum life and how it shapes and transforms people. Please, let me know if I'm writing the characters' changes believably enough. Also, I opened up an account in an adult fanfiction site,using this same penname. PM me for details. There's already something up, kind of an interstitial mini lemon chapter. I didn't put it in here because it's a lemon between minors. Either way, check it out, but **_only if you're 18 and over! It will cost me my account to have minors surfing an adult website! _**Anyhoo, be kind and review. 


	9. Flaws in Character

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno or the Sector 3 slums, only my OC.

Tiny A/N: As I mentioned in the previous chapter, some Turk action! Hoorays for the Turks (violent, funny hit men make me smile for some strange reason). Their involvement will be pre Before Crisis, and continues along the game's canon. I'm relying on the kickass online translations in Gunshot Romance for background.

* * *

"_I hope it was real good for you, Kale. 'Cause that was the last piece of tail you'll ever get" he said in a silky tone of voice, "Now scream for me." And how he'd screamed! Long and hard, and in the end, choking on his own blood as Reno let loose on him, torturing and mutilating Kale as he'd done for the other two, the men who'd beaten and raped Cam, except for Ashe himself, with a rage that he'd never felt before. Blood, gore, the men's screams echoing in his ears, his nose full of the slaughterhouse scent of raw meat, their dull, dead eyes . . ._

Reno woke with a start, his skin clammy with sweat, his hair stuck to his forehead, to the back of his neck. He looked next to him. Cam wasn't there. Reno wiped his face with a slightly trembling hand and got up to look for her.

Over the course of two weeks, her bruises had faded away, her lacerations healed without any scars. Or at the very least, no scars Reno could see. He knew they were there though, as he noticed the new paranoia that surfaced in his friend, her shoulders tight, her eyes quick and always darting, always half-expecting to find danger lurking.

Reno had barely left her side these last couple of weeks, feeling worried for her. She was silent for long stretches of time, and- "Cammy?" Reno asked quietly, finding her in the kitchen, her back to him. She startled badly, dropping the dish she'd been wiping. The dish clattered and broke as Cam whirled around, looking so furious that Reno was taken aback.

"You asshole! Look what you made me do! Why are you creeping up on me like that?! " she shouted at him, her entire frame trembling minutely. Reno frowned "I didn't creep up, Cam. I just had a nightmare and woke up, then came looking for you." Cam fisted her hands in the towel she'd been using to dry the now-broken dish "Well, what the fuck for? You want me to pat you on the head or something?" and with a small sob she fell to her knees, gathering the pieces of shattered crockery.

Reno had begun to feel angry at her, at her accusations and mindless fury at him, but he knew she had truly been frightened, and she was jumping at shadows. He knelt across from her, helping her pick up the shards. She sniffled, not looking at him, "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me, I know you- I mean, that- oh shit, I don't know what I want to say, what-" she began to cry, covering her face with her hands.

He hated to see her cry, and futilely tried to console her "Aw, c'mon, Cammy, don't." She kept crying. Reno felt like nothing he could do would ever be enough to put things as they were, as they had been. For the first time since he'd been orphaned, Reno felt miserably helpless.

Reno swept the shards away and knee-walked to Cam, trying to pull her hands away from her face, his throat tight "Cammy, don't cry, baby, I got them! I got them, and I killed them, and I made it hurt like a motherfucker, so don't, please don't cry-"

Finally she looked at him, eyes miserably sad "N-no, that's not what I wanted! Why, Reno? I asked you not to, I asked you not to . . ." She knew without wanting to that he'd gone out and killed those men, but to have it confirmed so bluntly . . . His thin frame shook with all he held in, "Cammy, they couldn't do what they did to you, to us, and live. Can't you see? All I've done has been to keep us safe, and I keep failing, so what is it all for? Stop crying, baby, I can't, I don't want you to cry anymore-" his voice cracked, a tear rolling down his own face.

Cam looked at him, at her friend and guardian. He looked wretchedly sad, and terribly young, with reddened, tear-filled eyes and streaks on his cheeks. He looked back at her, and tentatively kissed her, on both cheeks. She knew he was right, that he couldn't show any weakness to Cort, and certainly not Ashe. She knew that, just as she knew that she would never have been attacked as she was if Reno hadn't been her friend. That didn't lessen her pain, anyways. It only made her fear her connection to Reno, if only a little bit.

On the tails of that unpleasant thought, Cam argued with herself "Oh, but I can't be afraid of Reno!" and she begun to cry again, not scared or confused, just depressed. "Ah, hell, Cammy, don't . . ." Reno moaned, putting his arms around her. She let herself be held, trying to empty her mind of everything but the feel of Reno around her, his hot breath on her neck, the familiar smell of him.

Reno held his crying friend, holding in his own sobs. It had killed something deep inside him to see what had happened to Cam, all because his enemies had put together how close they were. To think it might happen again, and to know he'd do to anyone who harmed her what he'd done to Ashe's men a few days earlier was more than he could bear to think about at the moment.

She pulled away from him, to gently wipe his face with her hands, sniffling as she soothed him, "It's OK, hon. I understand what you did, that you had to do it. It's OK." He sniffled as well, and again kissed her hot cheek, "I want to be able to protect you, Cam." She nodded and kissed his mouth, a comforting, chaste gesture, "I know. Thank you, for everything."

* * *

Tseng yawned widely, stretching his arms over his head as he arched his back. His recent promotion to Turk field leader was something he very much wanted, and worked hard for, but it was challenging just how much work he was loaded with. He'd been at work for nearly 12 hours, and he still hadn't finished all the tasks he'd been given.

He heard s few knocks upon the door to his newly appointed office, and Tseng abruptly stopped yawning as Rude walked in. "It's just me, you can relax," Rude muttered, the hint of a smile playing along his lips as he closed the office door. Tseng made a small "Hmph" sound as he got up to walk around his desk, stretching out his legs as he asked Rude "So, what's going on?"

Rude tilted his head to both sides, wincing quietly as a small popping sound was heard, "Veld wants to see you, says he has something he'd like you to see." On the tails of that, Rude continued "And this has to be one of the longest days in my existence." Tseng nodded, beginning to smile faintly, "Tell me about it. I feel like I haven't slept in days." Rude nodded towards the impressive stack of papers on Tseng's desk, "Have you?"

Tseng followed Rude's gaze and smiled more fully now, "Not at all." Rude arched his eyebrows, "Ah." Tseng gave a small shrug and headed towards the door, "Anyway, it's what I wanted. Also, it's no good to keep the boss waiting. Let's go."

Once Tseng got to Veld's office, the older man handed him a big folder containing a preliminary investigative report, as well as several glossy pictures of a crime scene the MPs patrolling the Sector 3 slums had come upon. Tseng looked at Veld, and Veld gestured at the folder, "Tell me everything you see, Tseng. Let's find out if you make out what I saw here."

Tseng gave his superior a mildly confused look, and opened the folder. He put the report aside and concentrated on the pictures, not wanting to taint his initial gut reaction with words when pictures spoke so clearly.

Veld saw the young Wutaian's face as a small crease of concentration appeared on his brow. He smiled to himself and leaned against his desk as Tseng began, "I see a lot of anger, resentment. The mutilation on these men isn't methodical, or controlled. It seems very . . ." he frowned as he came upon the right word, ". . . emotional, like a revenge or something. All of them seem to have been castrated, and extensively beaten and tortured. This was the work of a single person?"

The Turk leader looked at Tseng, pleased at his incisive analysis. His intelligence and attention to detail, not to mention his hard-working self discipline, were what had taken Tseng to where he was. Veld nodded, and motioned for Tseng to continue.

Tseng nodded once in acknowledgement and continued, looking past the gore and trying to find more about the killer. "The empty liquor bottles and the vomit back there tell me that this isn't something the killer is used to, or enjoys doing." Tseng went on, "There seems to be self-loathing, otherwise why do something like this, something you hate, if not because he somehow thinks he deserved it?"

He looked directly at Veld, "Have you got any suspects, sir? Or, should I just start in on the file?" Veld clapped Tseng on the shoulder, congratulating him, "Very good, Tseng. The report isn't much, just detailing the killer's methodology. I didn't recognize them myself, but efforts to identify the victims have named them as three flunkies of Ashe, the-"

"One of TBF's highest ranking members," Tseng muttered under his breath, then on the same breath, "Collins." Veld nodded, "He is the most likely suspect. Now, a skinny teenager has to be quite the tenacious fellow to bring three men into an abandoned warehouse and do this to them. Has Rude had any success contacting him yet?"

Tseng shook his head "Not yet, sir. Collins changed his pattern about two weeks ago. Still, Rude thinks this week he'll be able to contact Collins." Veld muttered "Two weeks? This crime scene was discovered early this week, but Forensics say the men died about 2 weeks ago." Then the older man gestured at the pictures, "What do you think, Tseng? Turk material?" Tseng pointed at the vomit and empty bottles, "Needs to toughen up a bit, learn some self-restraint. Otherwise, yes, we'd be glad to have him."

Veld nodded, then looked at Tseng as if seeing him for the first time, "What are you still doing here? You've been here working since I saw you come in this morning?" Tseng sheepishly nodded, "Yes, sir. I haven't yet finished my duties, and-" Veld cut him off, "I'm sorry if I swamped you with work. Now go and relax a bit, you'll finish tomorrow. The last thing we need is you to screw up on work because you're exhausted."

Tseng gnawed on the inside of his cheek, thinking "I wouldn't screw up if I were half comatose, I worked so hard for this promotion." Some of it showed in his eyes, apparently, as Veld smiled, "Your efforts are admirable, Tseng, but seriously, don't make me pull rank and order you off duty." Tseng gave his leader a brief smile and acquiesced, "Alright sir. See you tomorrow."

Once Tseng was gone, Veld looked at another folder he had on his desk. In it were pictures of Collins, and all the information the Turks had found out about him on Veld's orders. He seemed appropriate for the position as a Turk, having impressed Veld by his tenacity and cleverness when the Turks began tracking the development of TBF, as the powerful gang gained more ground in the Sector 3 slums. It only remained to be seen how Collins reacted to Rude, who'd initiate contact by appearing as a disgruntled ShinRa employee who could be pumped for information.

* * *

A/N: There! Finally some more Turks to play with! But seriously, though, I was genuinely sad for Reno and Cam, and what they've gone through. But things will get better for them, I think. And I'm sorry Ashe still draws breath! That guy seriously needs killing, right, Lexa-Chan? Either way, I made the Turks all sneaky and such, knowing a lot about Reno when Reno doesn't know he's under some type of surveillance to begin with. Also, having Rude initiate Reno's first contact with the ShinRa Company is how I'll explain their closeness, how Rude is the only one Reno can work really well with. Well, read and review, and keep visiting! I'm on vacation now, and will probably add chapters more frequently than I've had so far, even if my brother's getting married and I have to go to wedding rehearsals and dress fittings and stuff like that. But I digress! See you later! 


	10. 18 Hours

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks or the Sector 3 slums, only my OC.

Tiny A/N: Once again I want to explain something about the ages, so as to avoid confusion. Reno got his face markings and Cam got hurt because of it (because Ashe is an utter bastard) a year before this chapter, so the kids are 17 now, 16 when it happened. And when you see some mention of Rude's first impression of Reno, it will be retrospective. They first met right after the previous chapter. I have mastered time travel! I just leapt forward one frickin' year! XD

* * *

Rude walked into one of Cort's nightclubs, down in the Sector 3 slum's red-light district. He wore civilian clothes, the only thing left of his Turk uniform, his ever-present black shades. The club was one of Collins' regular haunts, and Rude knew the young crime boss often came here by himself. 

Sure enough, after a couple of drinks, Rude saw Collins enter the club. "He looks thinner than the pictures Tseng gave me" Rude mused, watching the tall, skinny redhead confidently stride up to the counter. The only spot empty enough to get to the bar was actually next to Rude himself, as people were intimidated by his big frame.

Collins gave him a long look, as if sizing Rude up, then squeezed in to the bar, next to Rude. "Yo, Ronnie! Fix me the usual, yeah?" Then the youth again looked at Rude, having to tilt his head back a bit before remarking in a as-a-matter-of-fact kind of voice, "Yeah, so you're just about the biggest motherfucker here. What do you do, man, eat babies for breakfast?"

Rude resisted the urge to smile at the odd remark, and simply shrugged and sipped his drink, silently willing Collins to keep talking. As the bartender handed Collins his drink, the young man again looked at Rude, smirking. Rude had a moment to think, "Oh shit, is this a good thing or a bad thing?" before Collins asked "So what are you, a cop or something?"

"OK, smirking bad" Rude thought, then shook his head, "No, I'm not a cop." Although his voice was cheery enough, Rude remembered the crime scene photos Tseng had slid in front of him, of men so badly mutilated they barely looked human. It had been the mildly smiling redhead's handiwork, as of a few weeks earlier.

Collins gave a small snuffle into his drink, then shrugged "Whatever, just, for your own sake, don't give me any grief, OK? I've had a complete clusterfuck these last few weeks, and the last thing I need is some sort of gigantic, not-cop kinda guy making a mess out of the bar I'm supposed to run."

Rude mimicked Collins' shrug, "Yeah, yeah, I heard you. No grief, I assure you." Just then (and right on cue), Collins' phone rang. Rude knew it was Tseng, although all Collins said was "Oh goody, look who wants to see me." Once Collins had gotten his marks, he'd been told by Cort that Turks might call him once in a while, if only to let him know they'd be hunting some criminal under the gang's protection.

As a future gang leader, Collins was supposed to stand up for the people seeking the gang's protection, but what could he do? Tell the Turks to fuck off? He liked his head where it was, thank you very much. He usually cooperated with the Turks, same as Cort had always done.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess I can see you guys now, though office hours ended a while ago . . . Sure, yeah, you're sorry, not as much as I am, you took the buzz right outta my drink . . . Alright, I'll see ya soon." Collins finished. He clicked his phone shut, and muttered "Fucking Turks, man, they're creepy . . ." Rude nodded, "Yeah, they are. I know things about ShinRa Company and the Turks that'll make your skin crawl."

The gang leader gave a quiet laugh, "Yeah, don't we all?", then looked at Rude inquisitively, "And how come you know stuff? You work for the Company?" Rude returned the cool gaze, which Collins apparently found discomforting because if the shades, "I know, 'cause I'm a Turk as well."

After openly gaping at Rude for a few seconds, Collins again smirked, "So, what are you doing here? Trying to spy on me or something?" Rude shook his head, "No. Just here for a drink. I can't stand it up on the Plate. People acting like the slums don't exist, and everything's fine just as long as they got the Company looking out for them. As if-" the big man laughed quietly, "As if the Company gave a shit about all the kids dying in the Wutai war, all the guys who've disappeared after trying to join SOLDIER."

He got up, "But if it pisses you off to have a Turk in your bar, I'll go elsewhere." He looked at Collins from behind the dark safety of his shades, and saw his blue-green eyes darting as Collins apparently put together some sort of plan. "Uh, listen, don't mind me. I'm just supposed to be paranoid, you know? But really, stick around, have a few drinks. Hey Ronnie! Put this guy here on my tab, alright? Gotta go. Talk to you soon."

Although he spoke in a relaxed drawl, Rude could see the flare of curiosity and interest in Collins' eyes. "He'll talk to me." Rude smiled softly to himself, "I'm in."

* * *

Reno sat at the bar, waiting for his ShinRa contact to show. He glanced at his watch. It was 10:25, 5 minutes before their scheduled time of meeting. The club was full, it being a Friday night. He felt eyes on the back of his head and turned to see his contact, a tall, muscular man with a shaved head and his ever-present black shades.

Ever since he stepped into the club, Rude had seen about a dozen criminals with huge ShinRa bounties on their heads, and currently, he was taking a drink offered by one of the most wanted one of all, one Reno Collins, emergent leader of TBF, what was probably the most powerful gang in all the slums.

Rude had initially been pretending to be disgusted with the ShinRa Company, giving Reno tip-offs concerning Turk investigations on the crime bosses in the surrounding Sectors, 2 and 4. What Veld was planning on was on consolidating all the Sector 3 gangs under one same core of leaders, make the gangs relaxed and complacent in the belief that they were so powerful they could withstand pretty much anything.

Then Veld would pull out all the stops, working along with all three classes of SOLDIER and the MP's to perform a massive operation to destroy the gang.

Veld himself didn't much care for the plan, but Heidegger was adamant, claiming the gang was becoming much too powerful. They had their hands in everything, from weapons dealing, to drugs, to information and prostitution. Ashe and Reno, each trying to outdo the other, had only succeeded in taking TBF to unprecedented heights.

All things considered, though, Rude had started seeing Reno as a friend instead of as a pawn to be moved around. He'd started contacting Reno a little under a year ago, shortly after he got the marks that placed him second to Cort. Veld had already set the date for the massive attack. It was scheduled to happen in two days. Rude's visit wasn't for anything other than to warn Reno.

At first Rude treated Reno as an object, as means to an end, giving him tips and watching him grow more powerful and stable in the gang's hierarchy. Later on, he began seeing Reno for what he really was: an incredibly smart strategist who could pull string to make things happen. When he proposed something, it usually meant he had already figured out at least two other possible outcomes for the situation.

Also, he was funny as hell, making random, irreverent comments Rude ended up looking forward to, if only to brighten his fundamentally lonely existence. And speaking of which . . .

"So, Rude old buddy. You look kinda down in the dumps. What's got your panties in a bunch?" Reno queried, sipping his drink. Rude shrugged, "Ah, the usual. Work." Reno made a face, "Eck, work. Listen, let's go to the VIP room. C'mon!" He insistently pulled on Rude's suit jacket sleeve until the big man sighed and followed him.

They went into a lushly decorated room. The music was sultry, and subdued. At the back of the room stood a small stage, where every so often a scantily clad girl would dance. As they settled on a comfortable leather sofa, Reno gestured at Rude, "Sit tight, man. Show's about to start. I know this girl, she's great. I'm gonna go get drinks."

The lights dimmed, and a young woman came out. Rude didn't think she was of legal age to enter the club, much less to perform. She wore a skintight miniskirt, platform high heels, and a half-open blouse that revealed the tops of her lingerie-covered breasts.

The girl looked exotic, with dusky colored skin and a voluptuous figure that seemed far removed from the willowy-delicate-waiflike beauty sought up on the Plate. As the young woman danced and gyrated on the stage, Reno came back with the drinks. He whistled between his teeth, "Whew! So what do you think, man? You can't find girls like that up on the Plate. She's half-Costan. Doesn't she have the most delicious butt you ever saw?"

The girl noticed Reno, and gave him a sultry look and winked at him. Reno hollered and waved. The song ended and the girl walked off the stage. "Didn't I tell you she was something?" Reno began, but saw the serious expression on Rude's face, "OK, now you're starting to freak me out. You usually look pissed off, or bored, but now you look . . . worried?"

Rude nodded, "Reno, we need to talk." Reno swallowed his drink and stood, "Let's go to my office then." They went to the small office Reno had upstairs. Rude had been up there before, and knew it was a soundproof room.

Reno sat on his desk and motioned to Rude, "C'mon, man, tell me already." Rude took off his sunglasses and looked Reno squarely in the face, so that Reno knew he spoke in earnest. "Reno, I'm here to warn you. The ShinRa has ordered a massive strike against TBF. 18 hours, a force composed of all 3 classes of SOLDIER, the Turks and the MPs will scour Sector 3. They . . . First Class SOLDIERs have the order to eliminate all gang bosses."

Reno opened his mouth and let out a sharp breath. He seemed agitated, unconsciously rubbing his mouth with his left hand in an uncharacteristic sign of unease. His eyes darted around the room, and Rude softly said, "You don't have the weapons and manpower to take us all on, Reno."

The blue-green eyes focused on Rude, and a faint look of disgust crossed his face, "You've been using me, haven't you? You . . . you had me get all these gangs under the same roof, and . . . but I'll bet you knew all about this a long while ago. Why tell me now?"

Rude crossed his arms over his chest, "Listen to me, Reno. This was going to happen, no matter what I did. The plan indeed was to get all the gang's joined up, then-" Reno looked angry now, "And take them all out easy. You motherfucker!"

Still, as angry as he looked, Rude noticed he also looked scared. "Why are you telling me this, Rude, so I can suffer waiting for it to happen?" the redhead asked, then gave a short laugh, "Never figured you for a sadist, man, I gotta admit."

Rude sighed, "No, Reno. I didn't tell you so you'd suffer. I told you to give you a break, to get out of here, along with anyone else you'd like to warn. The Turk commander has expressed genuine interest in having you join us. He can guarantee your safety if you leave behind TBF."

Reno scoffed, "Yeah, if you, Tseng or Veld get to me before Sephiroth and his merry men do." He looked down towards his hands, muttering, "I'm gonna stay here and fight you guys."

Rude shook his head, "Don't, Reno. Get out of town. Go to Costa del Sol with your favorite dancer, or something, just . . . don't stay to fight. Don't fight us. Tell only who you must what's going to happen. If you try to tell everyone else, Ashe will just take the opportunity to get rid of you, and the ShinRa forces will still come down here to do their housecleaning."

* * *

Downstairs, Cam looked down at what was in her hand. She squealed excitedly before a dark flash of worry came over her face. "I know what I have to do, to keep us safe . . .but, how will I tell Reno?" her thoughts were in a jumble as she decided to forget the worries for tonight, and just enjoy what she'd only then found out. She put the positive instant pregnancy test in her bag and went back out into the club.

* * *

Reno glanced out the second story window, heaving a frustrated sigh, "Goddamnit, Rude. There's people here that were counting on me to look out for them. Let's say you do kill all the heavyweights, and I get to the surface to become a Turk. Are you guys gonna protect me from any comeback?"

Rude looked away uncomfortably, mumbling, "Anybody big enough to order a hit on you will be taken care of." The big man looked at Reno, "Your best bet is to get out of here till this is done. Go to another sector, or up on the Plate, anywhere at all, just don't be here when the strike begins, because there will be no way out."

Reno stared, then frowned, "You're really scared for me, big guy?" Rude only nodded, and Reno sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily, "Fine. Alright, I guess I'll warn-" Rude looked up sharply, and Reno held up a hand, "-don't worry, Rude. I'll only warn one person. Tonight. Then I'll see what I can cook up to get the fuck outta here. How's that?"

Rude looked marginally happier, although it was hard to tell, as he'd already put his shades back on. "I'm truly sorry, Reno. At first it was just surveillance and orders handed to me by Veld. Then I got to know just what a hard worker you are, how tough you've had it. You could be a great Turk."

Reno shrugged, then smirked, "Man, do I have to wear a suit if I get accepted?" Rude nodded in assent, then clarified, "You're still on thin ice, Reno. It still depends on whether Veld will be able to convince the Heads of Department you're a good . . . investment, so to speak."

After a few more minutes clarifying details about the security checkpoints that would be established as the attack deadline neared, and what would be the best route to escape, the two men went downstairs and back into the VIP room.

A very pretty girl came up to Reno and kissed him on the lips. Rude noticed it was the same girl who'd been dancing before. Reno put on a face of utter adoration, switching from deeply worried slum escapee to witty mobster so quickly Rude almost did a double take, to make sure he was talking to the same guy.

"Rude, I don't believe you've met my goddess, my muse!" Reno crowed happily as the girl smiled and confided in Rude, "He says that about all the girls in the club. Hi, my name's Camryn." Rude lightly shook her hand, "A pleasure. My name's Rude."

Cam fluttered a hand as if fanning herself, "Ooh, polite, and gorgeous to boot! Reno, you should bring more guys like Rude down here, liven the place up." Reno had been ordering drinks while Cam flirted with Rude, and came back with them, arguing, "Aw, Cam, you're breaking my heart! Here," he tried to hand her a shot, but she shook her head, "Nah, I'm not s'posed to drink on the job."

Reno muttered, "Dammit, I'm the one running the place, you can have a drink if you want it." Cam blew him a raspberry, and Reno shrugged, "Tch, fine. Ronnie, give the lady a shot of juice!"

Once the juice shot was served, Reno toasted (very much tongue-in-cheek, in Rude's opinion), "To the future, in its many-splendored shapes and forms!" Rude saw Camryn stare at Reno a bit when he said that, but filed it away as unimportant. They drank their shots; Reno bolting down both his shot as well as the one Cam had turned away.

Rude drank his shot, wiped his mouth and said, "Please, take my advice. I'll call you tomorrow." Reno nodded, looking anxious for a moment, "Sure thing, big guy. Thanks." The Turk left and Cam gave a minute shudder. Turks were the slums version of the boogeyman, and although she'd flirted and put on a cheery face, she'd felt she was talking to the physical embodiment of Death itself.

"What was that all about, hon?" she asked, seeing how Reno seemed contemplative now that Rude had gone. His attention snapped back to her, as he smiled easily and lied, "Nothing, babe. Listen, I gotta make a few phone calls. I'll be back in a minute, don't go anywhere. I wanna walk you home, 'kay?"

She eyed him, feeling his worry. Her news would have to be postponed till Reno got whatever was on his mind out in the open. He'll tell me when he's ready." She thought, and smiled for him, "I'd like that. I'll wait for you."

* * *

A/N: For the first part of the fic, I tried to make it detached from Reno, having everyone refer to him by last name only. It's a year later when Rude sees him as Reno, and not mobster Collins. I hope it was believable, how Rude established conversation with Reno. As for the massive sting operation, I just took a hint from what the government did to stop Noriega down in South America, with the whole mini-war/extermination thing.

I also tried my best to put into words what Reno was probably feeling. He's ambivalent, because while he really does want out of the gang, he knows he's basically betraying a lot of people who more or less count on him. This goes back to the gang research I made. It is a recorded fact that the more time a person is in a gang, the more loyalty that person will feel towards it.

And on a final note: Woot! Homegirl's preggers! Hopefully it wasn't too confusing. The way I made it seem was as if she had some creepy knowledge of what Reno was listening to upstairs, when what she's really thinking about is how to keep herself and her baby safe. She still remembers what Ashe did to her.

And Lexa-Chan, I'm so sorry I haven't killed Ashe off yet! I'm really trying, but I can't find the right way just yet. As always, read and review! I'll make Reno give you a peck on the forehead if you squeeze the review button!


	11. Countdown

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks or the Sector 3 slums, only my OC.

Tiny A/N: Almost a year has passed since the Ashe incident, so it's pretty safe to assume Reno's the daddy . . . or is it?! Bwa ha haa!

But seriously, though, in writing about it, I am in no way condoning or recommending teen pregnancy. This is a work of **fiction**, and not an advice column. My characterizatio0ns of Reno and Cam are not role models. Far from it; they're actually screwed up. And they're so not ready for this baby, and they don't even know it.

Also, here's a nice long chapter for you guys. I tried to get everyone's impressions, how they react to what's going to happen. The clock is ticking, and Reno has to make his move.

* * *

She didn't really know why she did it. It just felt right for her to let herself become pregnant. Maybe it was because Reno was special to her, that he was inconstant in her life. Maybe she wanted some part of him that would be only hers, that she could hold for herself when Reno was away.

Or maybe it was just some precocious biological clock urging her to have a baby.

Either way, the happy news would have to wait, at least until Reno told her what was going on. He'd never acted this weird before, not even when the Turk gave him information he could dance for.

Cam knew something was troubling him. All she had to do was look at his body language, the way his face was set, how he bolted down his drinks without tasting them. He came out of the office and nodded at her, "Ready to go? Let's roll, then."

It was a good walk to where Cam lived, but a walk they often made, even if Reno was seeing someone else. Both of them often saw other people. Things had never really been the same for them, since Ashe attacked Cam. Still, they invariably ended up with each other, if only for the simple comforts of Reno having someone to spoon with, and Cam having someone to cook for.

That was the way things were that night. Cam hadn't been seeing anyone, at least a month and a half prior, and Reno had admitted he'd broken up with his last girlfriend weeks earlier. Once they were at her door, Cam glanced at Reno from the corner of her eye, "So, you wanna keep a lady company tonight?"

Reno ran his hands over himself, smirking, "How much you gonna pay me, girly girl? This sexy body's on demand right now." She laughed, unlocking her door, "How 'bout coffee now, and breakfast tomorrow?" He shrugged, "Eh, sounds good enough."

A few hours later, they'd drunk their coffee, got 'creative' with some chocolate spread Reno found in the fridge, showered together, and went to bed. Reno had been very preoccupied early on, but Cam decided, "If he ain't gonna talk to me now, I might as well get his mind off it."

She felt smug when, somewhere in between smearing chocolate on each other and showering later on, Reno eventually lost his grim demeanor and had fun.

Next morning, she woke up and looked at Reno. He was still sleeping. She was just fine with that. She enjoyed looking at a sleeping Reno. He looked younger, more vulnerable, without his smirk and quick eyes.

She looked at his bare torso. He had several scars scattered through his upper body, of scrapes, burns, cuts, and other wounds sustained during his difficult childhood. Cam smiled as she noticed the light smattering of freckles Reno had on his upper back.

He hated them to no end, but Cam found them interesting, as she often tried to find a pattern, or a particular shape hidden in the random spots.

Cam stretched, put on some clothes, and went about fixing breakfast. She decided to make sweet toast, dragging bread slices through egg batter before frying them. Cam was just setting up some syrup, and the last of the chocolate spread from the previous night when she heard Reno get up.

It was actually closer to noon, and therefore lunch, but the lifestyle they held was mostly nocturnal, starting their day when most people had already been up and about for more than 4 hours.

Reno stumbled into the kitchen in his boxers, eyes still sleep-puffy, and almost squeaked, "Sweet toast! You haven't made any in ages!"

They ate in amiable silence, Reno snickering over the misused jar of chocolate spread. "Had to finish it sometime." Cam explained, to which Reno replied, "Ah, but we could've done the same thing we did last night, you know." Cam shook her head, "Nuh-uh. Next time we're gonna do that, I'm gonna buy one of those huge, economy-sized vats." Reno laughed and hooted.

When they finished, Cam took their dishes to the sink, feeling Reno get up and begin to pace the small kitchen. His unease was back. She looked at him, making a questioning gesture with her hand.

He let out a low breath, "Cammy, we need to talk." Cam huffed, "Finally!" He blinked at her, and Cam made cross-eyes at him. He smiled and shook his head, "Wait a sec." he asked, going to the bedroom, coming out a minute later with an address scribbled on a piece of paper, and a small wad of cash. He gave everything to her.

"What's this for?" Cam asked uneasily. Reno drew in a breath and dead-panned, "Listen, Cam, I need you to pack everything you need, today. The address I gave you is for a hotel right above, on the Sector 3 plate. I already called last night and made you a week-long reservation. As soon as everything's ready down here, I'm gonna take you to the service elevator and get you out of here. I'll join you at the hotel a bit later on."

Cam stared incredulously, feeling all her previous plans going up in smoke. "Why, Reno? What's gonna happen down here?" Reno brushed his hair back from his face, seemingly agitated, "You remember the Turk from last night? He gave me the mother of all tip offs last night. Turns out that in-" he glanced at a clock in Cam's kitchen, and paled, "-holy shit, in about six hours, all of ShinRa's peacekeeping units will come down here to mow down the gangs. TBF is no exception."

Cam blanched, "Reno, they'll take down everyone! Come with me to the Plate, don't come back here for anything!" Reno shook his head, "The Turks expressed some interest in hiring me, how 'bout that? If I agree to join the Turks, I'll stay alive, and I won't even have to go to prison. Apparently I'm the only one given this chance."

She shivered, forgetting all about her pregnancy at the horror she felt as she imagined the ShinRa hordes laying waste to the place she grew up in. "N-no, Reno, don't trust them! Let's get out of here, go to Kalm or something. That's how ShinRa works, try to talk you into something and when that doesn't work, just get rid of you."

Reno wanted to disagree with her, but knew she was right. There were occasions when he was glad for the safety his tattoos and gang status afforded him. The Turks he'd had to deal with in an official way, Veld and Tseng, were intimidating.

Veld was a large, gruff-seeming man, who commanded respect and never allowed Reno to make light of him, even down in Cort's turf.

Tseng, on the other hand, might have been the Turk field leader, but as he was closer to Reno's age, the redhead enjoyed annoying him to no end, playing dumb when it was obvious they needed his help.

Reno enjoyed thoroughly jabbing at the Turks with any thorn he could, basically on a matter of principle: he just didn't like Turks in his turf.

That, and the sight of Tseng's exotic Wutaian features colored red with wrath filled Reno with demonic joy.

Rude, however, was the only Turk Reno liked. He started out seeing the tall man as a threat, then it progressed to indifference, and finally blossomed into a fragile sort of friendship.

Reno looked at Cam. "If I run, I'm dead for sure. I've just got to stay safe until I can meet up with either Rude, Tseng or Veld. I'll get the Turk job, Cam, you'll see." He sighed, looking at her sadly. "When I get the job, I'll have to move to the Plate, sectors 6 or 7. Those are the Plates ShinRa has the employee apartments. I want you to move with me."

She stared at him, confused, "Why? All my stuff's down, here, my Mom, and-" Reno cut her off, "I know, but if I'm gonna run, get out of here, just leave everyone to the Turks, and to Sephiroth, how's it gonna be for you? I'll join the Turks, and you'll be branded as the friend of the guy who handed the slums over to ShinRa. I won't have it, you in danger again because of me."

Just like that, any plan of telling Reno she was having his baby was crushed. She had to tell him, of course, but what he was saying, as well as what had happened to her in the past, made it impossible for them to have a normal life. Once again, Cam felt paranoid about her relationship of sorts with Reno, if not for her own sake, then for her baby's.

Cam was dumbfounded. It was too much to absorb at the moment, to suddenly find herself cut off from everything she knew. "Reno, what can I do? It's too much, I can't . . ." she trailed off. Reno shook his head, "I'm so sorry, Cammy, but it's real, and it's gonna happen soon. C'mon, let's pack everything up."

Unknown to Reno was that earlier that morning, security had been beefed up, and the service elevator he was counting on to get Cam to the surface was guarded by MPs who'd received a briefing on who _not_ let up to the Plate. Reno's name figured in the top ten.

Reno finished helping Cam pack. She packed lightly, only that which she could carry. He glanced at his watch. Cam understood, and they left for Reno's flat. His bag was even smaller than Cam's, as he intuited he'd have to run by the end of the night. It was almost 2 o'clock. Only about 5 hours left till SOLDIER came down to the slums.

"What do we do now?" Cam asked. "I dunno, babe. How 'bout I make some calls, make it seem like everything's OK, then grab a quick lunch before getting you out of here."

* * *

Rude was up in the Turk training room. He'd just finished sparring with Tseng, and both men panted. "Nearly got you that time" Tseng warned, to which Rude replied, "Almost." Tseng looked curiously at Rude, asking "why are you worried, Rude? You gave him the warning, told him our offer. Maybe he decided Turk life isn't for him. He seems stubborn enough to do just that, to spite us."

Rude frowned. He often forgot Tseng was the person who probably knew him best here in ShinRa Company. He shook his head, "No, Tseng. He wants out of that gang, even if he himself doesn't know it." Both men jumped a bit when Rude's PHS rang. It was Reno.

The bald Turk picked up, and briefly explained the beefed up security measures, and how ShinRa forces would be descending to the slums in waves, starting in only a short while. "You need to get out of there _now_, Reno. I can't even be sure that you can, as things are right now."

Reno laughed, "It's what I do, baby! I _live_ for shit like this!" before hanging up.

Tseng looked at rude with an arched eyebrow, "You gave him a lot of classified information, Rude." Rude let out a breath through his nose, "I trust him, Tseng. He won't play us false." The Wutaian gave a minute shrug and got up, "Fine then. Let's go get some food before the briefing."

* * *

In the slums, Reno and Cam walked into 'The Misty Hedge', not as hungry children willing to put up with a lewd cook, but as customers. Things had changed throughout the years. The food was better, the cooks had changed. Harv, the cook who fed kids for a price was dead, killed by a young woman he'd abused years ago.

When they finished their dinner, Reno glanced at hius watch. It was a quarter till 4 o'clock. "Only 3 hours till SOLDIER gets here. . ." Reno thought, telling Cam "C'mon, babe, let's get you up on the Plate."

She had seemed sad and anxious since Reno had told her what was going to happen. Still, as much as Cam knew something was wrong with Reno before he told her, so could Reno tell she was particularly upset about something. Often she looked on the verge of telling him something, only to fall silent.

As they picked up Cam's bags at Reno's flat, Reno noticed with a sinking feeling the seedy-looking street brat who ran out of the street behind the building. It was a kid who associated himself with Ashe. Cam didn't see him, and Reno didn't tell her, although he knew he was probably going to be told on. They made their way to the small service elevator very few people knew about.

There were 3 MPs with guns standing guard.

"Hey, guys!" Reno greeted them as old friends. One of the MPs blanched, and the other two looked at each other. "Shit" though Reno, "they already know my face."

"What d'ya want?" asked one of the guards. Reno pointed at Cam, "Just want to get the lady up to the Plate before you guys raze this place to the ground." The MP shook his helmeted head, "Negative, orders were to not let anyone up."

Reno grinned at the guard, "C'mon, it's just this one pussycat, look at her, she's harmless." The MP frowned, "Orders are orders."

Reno scoffed, "C'mon, guys! It's a 17 year old stripper! Listen to this, I got a 150 gil tip for each of you if you let the girl up."

The MPs all looked at each other, then the leader looked back at Reno, asking, "What's so special about her?"

Reno gave Cam a look, then looked back at the MPs, with a knowing smile, "We're all men here, let's call it . . . sentimental reasons."

One of the guards snickered, and the leader said "OK then, give me the gil. I'll let the girl up. Mind you, I'll escort her." Reno thought, "Yeah, out of the goodness of your heart", but handed over the money, and pulled Cam behind a big pile of scrap metal.

Cam drew a hitching breath, "Reno, I want to stay with you. I won't know what to do up there, not by myself." Reno shook his head, "You'll know what to do, babe. You've done lots of big stuff for yourself, you know. You're not helpless."

Cam saw he couldn't be swayed, and her eyes welled up in worry and frustration. "Ah, c'mon, Cammy, don't be such a puss." Reno gently scolded her, cupping her face with his hands. She grabbed his wrists, "Promise you'll come for me?" Reno nodded and kissed her on the forehead, lips moving against her skin as he muttered "I promise."

The MPs were hollering at them, "Hurry up whatever you're doing back there! Elevator's here!"

Reno whispered, "That's your ride, honey." He kissed her softly on the lips, sliding his arms around her. She hugged him back tightly. She felt his hands slide further down to her bottom, and felt cold steel pressed against her lower back.

It was a gun.

Reno stuck one of his guns under the waistband of her jeans, and then pulled her shirt over it. "Just in case, sweetness." he muttered, patting her butt fondly. She drew a deep breath and left him there, going to the MPs, who laughed and hooted maliciously at her disheveled appearance. The MP leader got into the elevator with her.

Reno sighed, watching the door slide closed, separating him from one he held dear. He turned back to his flat.

The lights were still off, but Reno knew Ashe was probably there, wanting to catch him unawares. He always wanted to catch Reno messing up, and here was the biggest slip-up yet: all of Reno's stuff, neatly packed to go.

Reno drew his gun and strode inside his flat. He never noticed the Turk watching silently from the street behind the flat.

In a few seconds he'd killed half of Ashe's men, shooting Ashe himself on the kneecap before he was overpowered. The older man seemed shaken by this; he'd never known Reno could be that fast and lethal, not even when he massacred his men the previous year. Still, he regained his composure quickly, stanching the blood flow and cursing Reno's existence to hell and back before questioning him.

"Well, Reno. Looks like you're bailing out on us. What's on your mind?" he growled dangerously. Reno grinned diabolically, "Wouldn't you like to know, Ashe old buddy." Ashe gave him a hard backhand slap, splitting Reno's lip. "You'll find out in a short while, don't be impatient, sweet pea." Reno cackled, knowing just how much pain Ashe was feeling right then.

* * *

The MP who'd gotten in with Cam turned to her, informing her, "This piece of junk will take a few minutes getting up to the Plate. Meanwhile, let's see what's so special Collins dished out 450 gil to get you here." Cam looked at him disgustedly, "Leave me alone, I'm warning you."

The man chuckled sinisterly, already taking off his helmet to give her a lecherous gaze, "There's no surveillance here, honey pie, don't be shy." With that, he lunged at her, trying to overpower her.

Cam knew she couldn't fight him, at least not like this. "Alright! Alright! I'll do something for you! Just . . you know, be nice to a girl . . ." she simpered, putting on an act, positioning her hands on his shoulder as if to kiss him.

The MP looked at her smugly, "I knew you could be reasoned with-Aaargh!" His breath whooshed out as Cam used her hands on his shoulders as leverage to thrust her knee as high and as hard as she could into his groin. As the MP's eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped to the floor, unconscious, Cam almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Up on the Plate, an impressive force was assembled, and every division's leader were in a meeting, putting the final touches on the plan. Rufus ShinRa was standing in for his father, looking supremely bored and occasionally trying to look away from the meeting.

Also there were Heidegger, Scarlet and Reeve. Heidegger was managing the military force, Scarlet managing the weapons supply, and Reeve managing the maps and blueprints for the Sector 3 slums. The division leaders present included Rakat of the MPs, Veld of the Turks, Koontz of SOLDIER 3rd class, King of SOLDIER 2nd class, and Sephiroth of SOLDIER 1st class.

Reeve put up a blown-up image of the slum map on the projector, and Heidegger used a pointer to mark out spots as he instructed, "What we want is a clean sweep. The MPs have already closed off Sector 3, standing guard at all the exits to Sector 2 and 4, as well as the service elevators and the wasteland, right, Rakat?" Rakat nodded, "Yes sir, and when this meeting is finished, I'll send a second wave of MPs to reinforce the ones already down there."

Heidegger gave Rufus a simpering look, and Rufus merely looked back at him, his demeanor cold.

Heidegger looked at Veld now, "The Turks are already supposed to be down there, marking the big targets. Right?" Veld answered, "Half of them are, sir. The remainder are waiting for further orders, that I'll issue once the meeting is adjourned."

The Head of Peacekeeping continued, "Koontz and King, you'll take your men and head down there. SOLDIER Third will cover the 'hotspots', and SOLDIER Second will begin negotiations for the surrender of crime bosses. Don't try too hard, the Desert Prison's overcrowded anyhow."

"Sephiroth, I want you to split up your team." Heidegger continued, making the silver haired General look at him. "Half of you will take care of the TBF bosses, and the other half will go to what's left of Geist's gang and provide support to SOLDIER Second."

Sephiroth, who'd also been looking bored up till then, now seemed interested, "Why the change, sir? Geist is weak, he can be overpowered easily. It's Cort and his boys we should concern ourselves about."

Heidegger answered him, "It's for the best, really. Geist seems weak now, but he's managed to hang on this far." Sephiroth, who understood Geist to be little more than a loan shark, nodded in acknowledgement, staring at Heidegger with his odd, feline eyes, "As you wish, sir. I'll inform my team of the changes."

Heidegger, who felt a bit unnerved by the man's strange gaze, cleared his throat, "Of course you do. Talk to Scarlet for ammunition. Everyone knows what they have to do? Then the meeting's adjourned, everyone back to their division." Heidegger ended, smiling, "By this time tomorrow, the gangs of Sector 3 will be so much dust in the wind. Gyaah ha ha haa!"

Veld went to his Turk Aces, those who were the best at their jobs. There were few of them, only 5. The other, regular Turks already had assumed their positions, scattered throughout the slums, as Heidegger said, marking the big targets.

Veld issued his remaining Turks their orders, specifically placing Rude and Tseng at the center of TBF territory, at Cort's residence. He highlighted Sephiroth's marking that spot, silently telling Tseng and Rude, "If you're going to get Reno for us, get there before Sephiroth does."

Meanwhile, Sephiroth went to where the rest of SOLDIER First waited. Like the Turks, SOLDIER First was a small group, comprised of only 15 men. Like the Turks, they were incredibly dangerous. Many strong men died or went insane with all the training and scientific tampering required to get to that division.

This tended to make the survivors, those who made it so far, arrogant, and with good reason. In all of ShinRa, no one was faster or stronger than the members of SOLDIER First.

As Sephiroth gave out the new instructions and split up his team, a handsome young man asked "How come? The original plan was best." Sephiroth glanced at him, "I thought so as well, Zack, but Heidegger thinks otherwise, and it is not our place to question higher-ups." He widened his eyes slightly and made a small gesture with his hands, making the seemingly humble remark into a sarcastic one.

A small rumble of laughter coursed though the men, but they quieted down as Sephiroth continued, pointing out the men as he spoke, including Zack in the headcount, "I'll take you six, and head to Cort's residence in TBF grounds. Sebastian, you're second squad leader. Take your team and go get rid of Geist." He finished instructing the men to make what preparations they needed.

As the men all dispersed, Zack walked up to him. "You should've taken more guys. Cort's the one with the big guns now." Sephiroth looked at Zack sternly, "I know what I'm doing. The men I chose to accompany me are the best in the division." Zack looked up proudly, but Sephiroth went on, "Maybe not the smartest, but generally speaking, the best." Zack frowned at the General.

Sephiroth merely chuckled and left, saying "Do as you like. Just be in formation at 18:30. We leave at 18:45." Zack watched the General leave, then headed to where the second wave of MPs was assembled, looking for his friend.

Although everyone was in uniform, Strife was easy to find, because of his short stature and pointy, bright blonde hair.

Strife saw Zack and grinned at him, then grumbled, "No fair, Zack. You guys get the good jobs!" Zack smiled at the frustrated young man, asking, "What about you, Spike? What're you doing?"

Strife looked downcast, "Ah, just stand watch at one of the gates to Sector 4." Zack tried to cheer him up, "C'mon, Spike! And you'll righteously kick the unfortunate ass of whoever tries to escape, right?" Strife smiled, but still seemed crestfallen, "I guess."

* * *

The MP was starting to come around. He looked pale and queasy. Cam trained his own gun at him. She'd taken all his weapons and materia, the 450 gil Reno dished out to get her this far, and about 70 gil he had on him. The MP groaned and threw up. Then he groaned some more, "Goddamn you, I think you ruptured something."

All her worry, all her stress, washed over her, and Cam was overcome by a nervous giggling fit. In between laughs she wheezed, "Serves you right, for trying to rape me, asshole!" The MP wailed, "O God! I need a doctor!"

It was a good thing the MP was severely disabled, as Cam laughed till she saw spots.

The elevator door dinged and opened. There was only one MP up there, a pimply kid who looked about 15. He gaped at the fallen MP, then at Cam, not stopping her as she dropped the MP's gun, shouldered her bags, and left, wincing at the sharp light as the sun set. It was 6 o'clock. Only one hour till the strike.

* * *

A/N: Alright! I hope you're satisfied with this behemoth of a chapter! Hopefully it wasn't tooooooo long. Like I said at the beginning, I wanted to get a bit of everyone's perspective. I love, love, _love_ most of the people at ShinRa Company, and desperately hope I didn't do too badly on their characterizations. Now, some small points I'll explain a bit:

Cam + Reno + Chocolate Mayhem

But seriously, they really do have that weird best-friend-telepathy I talked about a while back. And they don't want to admit it, they're kind of afraid to, but they really do mean something to one another, something big.

I also made Cam a bit clingy and scared in this chapter because she isn't done seeing herself as a victim. After her childhood, and most recently, the rape incident, she's undermined and feels weak and powerless against stronger foes. Although the MP's another story. It_ is_ possible to, quite literally, bust someone's nuts! The moral: Do **not** mess with the pregnant lady! To top it off, when she finally does something to reclaim herself, to assert her authority, Reno comes and basically rips her out of her home. Couldn't you just shake him?!

Hopefully I did the ShinRa camp justice. Before anyone howls at me, Sephiroth _does_ laugh and make little jokes! It's in the game! The man can be a goofball! Or at least, _could_, before Jenova got him. I made Zack funny and Cloud frustrated, because that's how they seem to me during the game's flashbacks.

And I made Ashe _hurt_!! It's not much, but he's bleeding and in pain!

My, my, this is the longest chapter (and Author's Note) ever! Read and Review, please!

PS - Lexa-Chan got a little kiss on the forehead from Reno! If you guess the names for the SLODIER Third and Second class leaders, I'll have him hula dance for you!


	12. Time's Up

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks or the Sector 3 slums, only my OC.

Tiny A/N: The countdown ends, and Reno's future is in the balance!

And this is also the first mention ever of my other female OC. She's kinda crazy, but I like her.

* * *

Ashe was in pain. He was furious, and beginning to feel alarmed. He'd gotten a call from one of his men. They tried to leave the slums to do business in the neighboring Sector 2, only to find out there were MPs there, who forbade their leaving.

Something big was going down, and Reno knew what it was.

Ashe tried to beat the truth out of him, but the redhead just laughed and mocked him. Ashe wiped the sweat off his forehead, wincing against the pain in his leg. He'd underestimated Reno, and no one thought to bring any restorative material.

"OK then. Let's drag this happy motherfucker down to Cort, maybe he'll talk then."

* * *

It was seven o'clock. Time was up. SOLDIER First Class descended to the slum.

* * *

The few remaining Turks had already used their vast knowledge of the Midgar Plate infrastructure to assume their assigned positions. Tseng and Rude reached Reno's flat, and the Turk that had been watching there came out from the shadows.

The Turk glanced at Rude, then at Tseng. She was a tall, slender Wutaian, and one of the best spies the Turks had. Problem was, she was very undisciplined, often striking out on her own, or doing what she deemed was right rather than what was asked of her.

" 'Sup, Rude? Hey sempai. I did what I was told. Do I get a little gold star?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Tseng arched an eyebrow, "Miyuki, what you get for following orders is a new assignment, to see if this change of heart is permanent. Either way, that's not important right now. Where's Collins?"

She whistled between her teeth, "Ashe got here several minutes before he did, with 7 men. Collins seemed to expect that, and came out with a gun. He shot and killed three of the men, wounding Ashe himself. Then they tried to make him tell them what's going on, but Collins kept mum. They took him down to Cort's about 10 minutes ago."

Tseng let out a breath, having imagined something like this would happen. Still, Miyuki had done an excellent job; any other time, she'd have joined the fight and helped Reno out. He complimented her, "Nice job, Miyuki."

He regretted the kind words when she cracked her knuckles and yawned, "I'm bored, can I go kill someone now?"

Rude gave a minute snort of laughter, but Tseng frowned, "Sometimes I seriously wonder about your mental health, Miyuki." She grinned at him. Tseng shook his head as if to clear it, "Let's go pick up our expected newest member."

* * *

Cam went into the hotel Reno instructed her, having to withstand the curious and often condescending looks people gave her, as if they could sense her wretched condition. She asked the clerk in reception for the phone, and she slunk to the end of the counter.

_riiinnng riiinnng riiinnng riiinnng riiinnng riiinnng riiinnng_

Reno didn't pick up. She wasn't really expecting him to, but she was worried for him.

She hung up and dialed again.

_riiinnng riiinnng riiinnng _

A woman picked up, sounding tired as she gave a greeting by rote. Cam cut her off. "Please, I have to speak to Valeriana. It's an emergency." she pled, talking in a low, intense voice. The woman asked who she was speaking to. Cam groaned, "It's Cam, her daughter. I need to talk to her." It turned out the woman knew Valeriana and Cam, and she urged Cam to stay on the line, that she'd fetch Valeriana as soon as she could. A few minutes later, the phone was picked up.

-_Hello?_

-Mom! Mom, it's me! Listen, whatever you do, don't leave the house tonight, OK?

-_I don't understand, baby. Are you OK?_

-Mama, listen to me. I'm OK, I'm up on the Plate. Don't go outside tonight, not for anything!

-_OK, OK, I won't, but why are you up on the Plate?_

-Mama, I – I won't be back. I'm moving out of there. I can't go back to Sector 3. I . . . I can't go back to see you, Mama.

-_Why not? Baby, are you crying? Tell me what's wrong._

-I'm OK, Mama. It's just that, for my safety as well as yours, I can't . . . s-see you anymore. I-I don't want to, Mami, but I c-can't help it-

-_Cammy, mi amor, you're scaring me. Why do you say those things, for your safety, for mine? What-I mean-_

-Oh God, Mami, don't say it like that. I just can't go back to the slum, not after tonight. Please, please, let me go. Don't try to find me. Don't . . . Mami, I'm scared! I'm scared, and I'm by myself, and I'm- I'm pregnant, Mami.

_- . . . Beba, for real? But how did- you're always so careful, and-Cammy, please, talk to me-_

-I love you, Mami, and I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.

-_I love you too, cielo, but-_

-Bye, Mami.

**-**_Cammy? Cammy, estás ahí? Cammy?_

-**click**

Cam hung up the phone, hands trembling. Her breath hitched as she handed the phone back, the clerk looking at her as if saying "Oh, no, the slum rat's making a scene." Cam sniffled and brushed her tears away, snapping at him, "The fuck you looking at?!"

* * *

"Cort! I need to talk to you! Something huge is going down, and this bitch knows what it is!" Ashe yelled, barging into Cort's office as his men dragged Reno in, dumping him unceremoniously to the floor.

Cort, who'd been surprised by his lieutenants' appearance, now looked grim, "Yeah, something is happening. Personally, I think the ShinRa are out to get us." He glanced over at Reno, who was methodically ripping a piece of his shirt to wipe the blood off his face.

"What happened to Reno, you rough him up, Ashe?" Cort asked in a low tone. Before the boss could get angry, Ashe explained, "He knows what's going on, Boss. You know how he talks to the ShinRa. And he had all his bags packed and ready to go."

Reno piped up, yelling "Insubordination! This envious asshole beat me over my overnight bag- OOWW, MOTHERFUCKER THAT HURTS!!" he screamed as Ashe, leaning heavily on one of his men, stomped on his fingers, yelling, "Shut the fuck up!"

Reno shut up, and instead retaliated, viciously slamming his fist against Ashe's blown kneecap. Ashe screamed and nearly fell, Reno cackling madly, "Yeah, shit, I got you good!"

Cort spoke sharply, "Enough! Shut the fuck up, both of you." Truth was, he never fully trusted the Turks as much as Reno obviously did, and had harbored his own suspicions against Reno. Ash had just confirmed his suspicions.

He walked around his desk and squatted before Reno, pointing a gun squarely at the redhead's face. "Tell me, Reno," the boss purred dangerously, "did you know about this? Were you really going to run?"

Reno saw his death in the boss's eyes, and he gave Cort a fierce look, "Yeah, I knew, and I was going to run. But it doesn't matter. We're all dead anyway." Cort cocked the gun, "Really? How come?" Reno gestured towards the door, "I dunno, just asks those Turks over there."

Cort, and indeed, everyone, looked alarmed at the door. Before they realized no one was there, Reno had leapt to his feet and pulled Cort's gun from his hand, pulling and twisting Cort's arm behind his back.

Reno edged to the door, using Cort as a shield. When he got to the door, he pushed Cort in. He fired two rounds: one into the back of Cort's head, and one into Ashe's stomach. Cort's gun used hollow points, which exploded on contact.

The results were gruesome. Cort's head vanished in a red blur, and Ashe screamed in pain as his lower chest, stomach and belly were engulfed in blood.

Everyone looked at Reno, shell-shocked. Reno gave a small chuckle, "Wow."

He ran out of the house while the men scrambled looking for something to heal Ashe. It was a useless effort; Reno knew that shot was fatal, and it would be a bad death, full of pain. "Nothing more than you deserve, you son of a bitch, only thing I'm sorry about is missing it."

He ran right into SLODIER first Class, as they'd assembled a short distance at the house's side.

Reno skidded to a halt, and for a split second, Sephiroth, Reno and the rest of the men looked at each other in comical surprise. Then Sephiroth gave a small laugh, deep in his throat, moving forward with Masamune in his hand. Reno doubled back to Cort's.

At the door, one of Ashe's men greeted him with a good, solid punch to the mouth. As much as it slowed Reno down, it also proved to be his salvation. When Reno bent his head to cup his painful, bleeding mouth, he felt a sinister whooshing sound, and looked up to see the flunky's head separated from his shoulders.

Reno gave a short, shuddering cry and pushed the still spasming dead man into Sephiroth, who muttered an oath. Reno ran further into the house, as fast and as silent as he could, taking the unwilling help of the men who came out to see what the fuss was about to slip upstairs, to where Cort usually stored weapons.

He glanced out the second-story windows as he passed by, growing angrier by the second as he realized, "I'm surrounded by every goddamn SOLDIER ever made. I'm trapped." Reno heard footsteps coming up the stairs as he darted into the room, the very last one at the end of the hallway. It was Sephiroth.

Sephiroth stopped at the top of the hallway, absentmindedly whisking Masamune through the air to flick the blood off. The rest of his force was downstairs, securing the area. Sephiroth began looking into the rooms, starting at the first one.

If anyone matched the photos he'd studied for the mission, and they were marked for elimination, Sephiroth did it quickly. If not, he let them escape downstairs where Zack would take care of them.

There were four rooms upstairs, and Sephiroth was just checking the second.

Tseng, Rude and Miyuki reached Cort's, Rude muttering an oath at the sight of the well-organized ShinRa elite. The Turks lost precious time explaining the SOLDIER at the door about needing to go inside. The soldier made it more difficult than it should have, and Miyuki snapped at him, "Listen, you can bitch and moan at us all you want, _after_ you let us in! We're carrying out orders, same as you."

Upstairs, Sephiroth was advancing through the third room.

Zack noticed the Turks, and waved them through, frowning at the uncooperative soldier, "What was that all about, Yishay?" Yishay shrugged, "Ah, just hate Turks."

Reno heard Sephiroth toss the room next to him, and stood at the opposite wall, facing the door. He had a gun in his hand. The door busted open, and there stood Sephiroth, Masamune gleaming evilly in his hand.

Reno shot at him, and it seemed to the tired, soon-to-be-ex-gang-member that the silver haired General dodged the bullet before materializing before Reno, thrusting the katana forward.

He ran Reno through the upper right portion of his chest, clipping his lung and pinning him to the wall.

Reno screamed, and Sephiroth leaned forward, smirking, "Thought you'd outsmart me, didn't you?" Reno panted raggedly, as pain far beyond anything he imagined made his vision weak.

From the doorway, he distantly heard Tseng shout, "Sephiroth, stop! We need Collins alive."

Sephiroth lightly shook his head, appreciating the view of Reno's dimming eyes, "No, my orders were to take down the TBF bosses. Collins was second on that list." The ghost of a smile flickered on his face as Reno began to pass out. As soon as his legs buckled a bit, however, his dropping weight on the katana jarred him back into painful awareness.

The Turks knew it wouldn't be long before Reno could no longer stand up, and Tseng spoke more urgently now, "Sephiroth. Collins gave us vital information regarding this operation. Veld wants to see him for a job in the Turks." Sephiroth snorted softly through his nose, "Collins, a Turk? You people never cease to amaze me."

"Well then, I guess that means I'm done here." With that, he savagely withdrew the katana. Reno gave a strangled cry and fell to the ground. Sephiroth spared him a glance before again flicking the blood off Masamune. He left the room.

Everyone knew what to do. Tseng called in with Veld, then went downstairs to make sure the soldiers didn't complicate things further. Rude administered a Cure 3 on Reno as Miyuki called for an emergency medical transport, not before crossly commenting, "Seph sure took his sweet time, huh?" Reno came to, coughing weakly. His chest felt on fire. The last thing he heard before darkness swallowed him was Rude's voice. "You're going up to the Plate, to a hospital. Hang in there . . ."

* * *

A few hours later, the ShinRa military forces congratulated each other on a job well done. Reno was lying deeply unconscious in a hospital bed, and Cam was sleeping uneasily in an unfamiliar environment. The gangs of the Sector 3 slums were no more.

* * *

A/N: Yays! The first cycle of the story is done! A short chapter rundown, if you will:

Ashe is finally dead!!

Ahem. Hopefully you guys liked Miyuki. Like many other authors in this site, I've related Wutai to be equivalent to China/Japan/East Asia, so occasionally Miyuki will say something in Wutaian (Japanese or Chinese, whatever sounds better.) She has some serious discipline problems that could have already gotten her fired from the Turks if not because she's just one of the best spies the Turks have. She's also a premier sniper, but that didn't show just yet.

As for Cam's desperate phone calls: again, I made her vulnerable and clingy, very much insecure and scared. God save us from the Mary Sues. I tried to make her paranoid, as she read her own interpretation of the people's stares.

And Ashe and Reno fighting like kids! I would've laughed if it wasn't so gory.

As for the Turks/SOLDIER animosity, I wanted there to be some pre-existing beef between the two factions. If you saw the "Last Order" anime, it's pretty obvious the MPs hate the Turks, and the Turks seem to be slightly contemptuous of the MPs in return.

Speaking of Turks, I'm writing a much younger Tseng than in the game, so that's why he's kind of funny sometimes. And our dear Rude; I know he doesn't speak much, but think of it. Whenever he's all quiet-like is when there are other, less familiar people around. With the other Turks and other people he knows he's kind of chatty. Remember in Advent Children, how he talked a lot to Reno?

I deliberately made Sephiroth kind of creepy and sociopathic, because in the game he seems to have these weird mood swings. I mean, you can just tell there's some darkness behind those weird cat-like eyes.

Finally, as always, Read and Review!


	13. Uncertainty?

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks or the Sector 3 slums, only my OC.

Tiny A/N: The countdown ends, and Reno's future is in the balance! Read and review!!

* * *

Nearly two days after the Sector 3 cleanup, Reno woke up in a hospital bed. He felt physically much better than the last time he'd been conscious. At the same time, however, he felt disoriented and anxious. He had no idea what was going to happen to him. 

He pressed the nurse call button. A young woman impeccably dressed in white came in, looking surprised as she asked, "How are you feeling?" Reno shrugged one shoulder, "I'll live." The nurse smiled and opened the bedroom curtains.

Sunlight streamed in. It wasn't much, as it was smoggy in Midgar. But after the years of perpetual twilight in the slums, it seemed as bright as a summer's day. Reno winced and asked, "How long was I out? Where am I?" He reached for the glass of water.

The nurse gave him the water, informing him, "You've been here for almost two days. Here being the Sector 3 General Hospital, of course." She frowned a bit, taking the empty glass from Reno's hand, "Actually, I don't know much of what happened to you, but you were a right mess when they brought you in, and ever since you got here, there's been a Turk outside the door."

Now it was Reno's turn to frown. "Can I make one phone call?" he asked, making the nurse laugh, "Oh, heavens! You're not in jail! I'll get you a phone. Thing is, I'll have to let the Turk outside know you're awake."

Outside, Rude had just sent Miyuki home, it being his turn to watch. As the nurse came out, she informed him, "He's awake, and alert. You may go in." Rude did, thanking the nurse.

Reno looked at him, and grinned, "Hey, Rude! Long time no see, huh?" Rude returned the smile and stood at Reno's bedside, taking in Reno's appearance. Always skinny and pale, Reno seemed ghastly at the moment. His cheeks were hollowed out, he seemed thin to the point of emaciation, and he had dark circles under his eyes.

He noticed Rude's frown, and laughed, "Jeez, do I look that bad?" Rude nodded silently. Reno scoffed, "So tell me what happened. Let's tally up stories now." And for the next few minutes they did exactly that, comparing what they'd been doing on each other's side of the story. Reno left out Cam, and Rude never asked who it was that Reno had warned.

When they were finished, Rude stood near the door, "I need to report this to Veld, so he can interview you about-what is it?" he finished abruptly, seeing Reno motion him over. "Rude, I need to make a phone call." The redhead pled silently with his eyes for Rude not to ask him. Rude studied his face, and handed Reno his own PHS, then left, murmuring "I'll be back for it in 5 minutes."

Cam had been surveying her naked self on the mirror. She touched her belly, trying to imagine what she'd look like when her pregnancy began to show. She was still upset about the abrupt change in plans, but more than ever, she knew what she had to do, to keep herself and the baby safe. "Even if it breaks my heart" she thought, stepping into the shower and turning on the jet spray.

Not a minute later, the phone in the hotel room rang loudly, and Cam ran soaking wet out of the shower to answer it, "Hello? Hello!?" Then came the reply, "Hi sweetness, how you doin'?" She almost fell to the ground, but instead growled, "Reno, you shit! Why the hell didn't you call or come for me as you promised?"

Reno tried to calm her down, "Jeez, calm down, will ya? I'll give you all the juicy details, but right now, I'll just tell you that my, um, escape attempt was cut off, and I'm in the Sector 3 General Hospital."

Cam, who'd gone back to the shower stall with the cordless phone in her hand, gasped, "Holy crap! You OK? I'm sorry I yelled!" Reno chuckled, "Yeah, I'm fine. The Turk commander will be here soon, tell me if I got the job or not. Then I guess I'll be discharged. How 'bout you, you OK?"

Cam sighed, "I've been worried and bored out of my mind here. They really cleaned up down there, Reno. Cort, Geist, Ashe . . . every big boss was killed. The lesser bosses were sent to the desert prison in Corel, and everyone else just kinda dispersed."

Reno replied, "Ooh, that's just . . . I don't know." Cam muttered, "I called Mami. I warned her about the attack, and I told her I wouldn't come back." Reno sensed the sadness in her voice, and tried to apologize, "Babe, I'm really sorry you didn't get to see her before everything went to pieces."

She sighed and gave a watery-sounding laugh, "It's OK. I think it was even better that way. Otherwise, I don't think I could've . . ." Reno sighed as well, then hissed in a breath, "Cammy, I got to go." She sniffled, "I know, I know, just . . . call, OK?" He reassured her, "Yeah, and . . . I never meant to go back on my promise, Cammy. I really did want to meet you when I got out. As soon as I get out, I'll come to you."

Cam smiled, her skin pricking up in gooseflesh as the air dried her still-wet body. Either that, or Reno's serious tone. She threatened him playfully, "You'd better come for me, or I'll whup your pasty ass." Reno smiled, knowing she was strong, "Ooh, ouch. Listen lady, I'm just about to get out of the hospital, and you want to put me back in it?"

Cam laughed, "Bye then, ya great big ugly choco-brain." Reno teased back, "Talk to you later, worry-wart monkey girl."

Reno hung up, and erased the phone number he'd dialed from the phone's memory. If he really wanted to, Rude could easily just call the phone company and check the numbers dialed, but that took time, and if there was anything suspicious, Reno's first priority was to get Cam somewhere safe. Then he called out for Rude.

The big man took the phone and went outside to call first Tseng, then Veld. In a brief flare of curiosity, Rude opened the numbers dialed menu, and saw Reno had erased the call. "Oh, yeah," Rude thought, smiling to himself as he dialed Veld's number, "He'll fit right in."

After a few minutes, Rude went back in to Reno, who asked, "So what's gonna happen to me, Rude? Turk, or prisoner, or what?" Rude shook his head slowly, "I can't presume to know that, Reno. Veld really wants you to work with us, as do Tseng and myself, but the Heads of Department are kicking up a fuss."

Reno glanced longingly at the bathroom, and Rude felt awkward as he quietly asked, "Do you . . . need to go to the bathroom?" Reno burst out laughing at Rude's grim demeanor, "No, no, it's not that-actually, I do have to pee, but what I was wondering was, I know I'm all smelly and ugly looking right now, and I kinda sorta maybe wanted to take a shower. Thing is, I have nothing to wear."

Rude smiled at the redhead, "I called Tseng before I called Veld, told him of your damnable need to look good." Reno burst out laughing as Rude continued, "He's coming over in a few minutes with some new clothes, God knows why. You gave him a lot of grief back in the slums."

Reno hung his head sheepishly, "I know, I'm sorry. I was just, you know, sticking it to the Man." Rude made a small 'If you say so' gesture, and sat down in a hospital chair that managed to be lumpy, ugly and hard all at the same time. He turned on the TV.

They were watching a cooking show when Tseng came in 20 minutes later. He spared them an odd look, then Reno greeted him, "Hi Tseng. Good to see you."

Tseng narrowed his eyes slightly. He still remembered all the times Reno had said things to mislead him, to annoy and to frustrate him. But at that moment, the simple greeting, and the bare look in his blue-green eyes let Tseng know Rude had been right; Reno did want to reform and do well.

The Turk leader's expression softened a bit, and he handed Reno a small knapsack. In it were some new clothes, and several small pieces of toiletries. Reno checked; everything was in his own size, and Tseng had even though of tossing in a toothbrush and a tiny tube of toothpaste.

"Tseng, you're a vision! You're brilliant! Did I ever tell you what a handsome devil you are?" Reno crowed delightedly, making the Turks smile despite themselves. Still, Tseng eyed Reno warily, "Am I going to regret having put in a good word for you?"

Reno sobered up, "Look, you guys, I really, really appreciate you two going out on a limb for my sorry ass. I know I was a real pain down in the slums, but . . . I guess that . . . what I'm really trying to say, is . . . I'm sorry, and . . . I'm really grateful to you guys, for giving me this chance."

He looked up at the silent Turks, who seemed to be losing the fight to not smile, and asked, "Um, what? Was that too cheesy?" Rude nodded, smiling and looking at Tseng, who replied, "Nearly brought a tear to my eye."

Reno grinned, "Fine, then! Let this be the last time I say something meaningful to you sons of bitches!" The Turks had a small laugh at Reno's expense, stopping when Tseng glanced at his watch and muttered, "Oh, crap! Veld's about to get here. I'll go out to stall him while Reno cleans up."

Reno got up, and felt a cold draft. He called out to the departing men, "Hey guys, how 'bout I meet Veld like _this_?" and turned around. He was wearing a flimsy paper hospital gown. Without underwear.

Rude muttered, "Aw, _hell_ no . . ." while Tseng groaned, "Eeww, now that's just _wrong_." Reno shrugged, "What?" while making his way to the bathroom. Rude replied, "Reno, nobody deserves to look upon that ass." Reno laughed as he stripped and started showering, hearing Tseng comment, "He meets Veld like that, Veld will feed him to Hojo."

Reno didn't know what he was talking about, and defended himself, "Ah, you guys don't appreciate manly beauty. I am all that is man!" He cracked the Turks up when he began loudly singing a famously vulgar slum drinking song while showering.

Outside, however, the Turks sobered up as Rude looked at Tseng, "What do you think will happen?" Tseng gave Rude a serious look, "I don't know, Rude. Bottom line, we have to see what Heidegger says." The elevator dinged and Veld came out.

The Turks stood at attention, but Veld simply muttered, "At ease, gentlemen." As the young men relaxed, Veld asked, "Is he ready for the interview?" Tseng shook his head, "No sir. He insisted on showering." Veld gave Tseng an incredulous look, and Tseng clarified, "He wants to make a good impression."

Veld let out a sharp laugh, "That's amazing. I've been meeting this guy since last year, and now he wants to make an impression." Rude quietly asked, "Has Heidegger reached a decision?"

The older man gave a minute sigh, "Ah, well, the Department Heads have raised an uproar, what with me wanting to give a high-ranking crime boss a privileged position within the intelligence sector of the Company. But we've been through this before, haven't we?"

He was referring to a few weeks earlier, when he'd promoted Tseng into the Turk Field Leader position. They'd begun arguing that Tseng was too young, too inexperienced.

It was when Veld kept pushing Tseng's documented test results, as well as his flawless record, that the truth came out: they were opposed to Tseng's promotion on grounds of his being Wutaian.

Some bigoted people thought of all Wutaians as terrorists, or blood-thirsty savages. Tseng, with his quiet demeanor, indisputable list of achievements and discreet work-ethic proved them wrong, time and time again.

Veld knew enough to look past race or stereotypes, and Reno was no different than Tseng in that Veld knew he'd be a good Turk, no matter what people thought.

From inside the room, Reno's voice drifted out, coming closer to the door as he asked, "Hey, Tseng, did you by any chance have something to eat?" He stuck his head out, growling, "I'm so fucking hungry I could weep!"

He saw Veld. He grinned, "Oh, shit-I mean, good afternoon, sir!" Veld arched an eyebrow, and Reno opened the door further, inviting everyone back in. Only Veld went in.

He let Reno make himself comfortable, and asked, "Reno, do you really know what this job's about?" Reno sighed and looked at him levelly, dropping all pretensions. Veld saw the real Reno. "Seems kind of young, but there's steel in him." Veld mused as Reno began to talk, "I know I really want this job. I know that I'm so glad to be out of TBF I can't begin to explain it. I didn't think I'd feel relief, but I do, and it feels great. This job is a second chance, for me to do something with myself."

He gave a small laugh, "Even if I'm only going to be doing much of the same stuff I was doing down in the slums, now it's for real. I mean, what else is there for me out there? I haven't got any qualifications for a job. I only went to school when I was out of drugs to hustle, and I stopped going at all probably during what was supposed to be sixth grade. You know where I really learned to read and write? In a whorehouse."

He let out a pent up breath, shrugging, "Truth is, Veld, the nastier side of Midgar is what I know, all I'm familiar with. I don't think I can do much else."

This answer seemed to satisfy Veld, who nodded, "Very well. As for me, I know the quality of your work. The Turks have been aware of you for some time now. This is only a gamble to people like Heidegger. Me and the rest of the Turks, particularly Tseng and Rude, we have no problems having you; in fact, we want you pretty badly. Badly enough to put ourselves at risk. We'll do that, no sweat, thing is, you have to not just be good at this job, but to shine at it."

Reno looked at the man he hoped would soon be his boss, and promised, "Absolutely, sir."

Veld smiled at Reno, and made for the door, "I'll let you be for now. Go get familiar with the sector. I'll call you after tonight's final meeting with Heidegger." He left.

Tseng and Rude came in. Rude handed him a PHS, explaining, "This is a temporary phone, so we can contact you later today. All of our numbers are listed there, so if you feel endangered, you can contact us. If you get the job, you'll get a new one for yourself."

Tseng handed Reno a small wad of cash, "And this is just some money we put together, for clothes and such things as you need." The Turks left Reno alone now, and it was a good thing, as Reno was speechless.

For the first time, people were treating him as a person, instead of something to be profited from, or a commodity that could be bartered with. The only person who made him feel appreciated before this was Cam, and Reno planned to buy her the biggest meal they'd ever had as soon as he got out of the hospital. But first, he needed some clothes, to suit his "damnable need to look good". He laughed, remembering Rude's comment as he asked the nurse for the papers to sign himself out.

* * *

Cam had also gone out earlier that day, feeling at turns bored, lonely and slightly depressed in her room. She'd gone out for air, for news, scouring the papers for a job and an apartment. So far, no luck, and she'd contented herself with buying herself a frothy frozen coffee and simply sitting at the coffee-shop's comfortable terrace out front. 

Everything was so different from what she knew in the slums.

The people talked different, more proper, and Cam self-consciously realized both she and Reno spoke with a marked slum accent, drawing out their words and using slang. Her accent was worse than Reno's actually, because hers was further complicated with the soft trills and distinct vowel pronunciations from her Costan mother.

She finished her coffee, deeming it one of the most delicious things she'd ever tasted, and decided to buy herself another one, getting up with a small sigh, knowing she had to return to the hotel in case Reno called or showed up. When she got to the counter, she was gripped with uncertainty.

She had an unassailable doubt which needed to be addressed and vanquished before she did anything else that day . . .

"Excuse me, is caffeine dangerous for pregnant women?"

A while later, she sipped a decaf iced coffee as she asked the clerk if she had any messages. It was the same clerk she'd snapped at the first day she'd been there. She'd apologized to him the day after that, and now he seemed to like her. He informed her that no, she had no messages.

Cam thanked him and went upstairs, finishing her coffee and curling up in bed, watching TV.

A few minutes later, someone knocked at the door. "What the . . ." Cam muttered, opening the door. It was Reno.

She let out a happy shout and jumped at him. Reno laughed and hugged her tightly, arching his back a bit to lift her off the floor. When he put her down, Cam kissed him, and Reno muttered against her mouth, "Mmm, coffee." She laughed and pulled him in.

After Reno told her everything that had happened to her since he left her at the elevator, Cam told him about the incident with the MP. Reno winced for the man, "Ouch, remind me never to piss you off." She pinched his cheek, warning him, "You always do, I've just gotten used to it."

Reno then told her about the job offer, and the talk he'd had with Veld. Cam seemed cautious, "They all seem like good people, hon, but the executives are the ones who'll have to be convinced. Either way, I'm sure you'll get the job. Let's get you some more clothes, huh? All you had was left behind. And look! I even got that MP's Materia, and the 450 gil you gave him, as well as some gil he had himself."

The redhead looked aghast, "You busted the man's nuts _and_ stole his money and Materia? You're evil!"

She swatted him on the arm, "Goddamnit, Reno!" Reno grinned, "I'm sorry." She eyed him warily, and Reno laughed, "What's that look for? C'mon, let's go. Then we'll eat so much we won't be able to move."

* * *

At ShinRa Tower, Veld was getting ready for his meeting with Heidegger. The Turk commander looked every bit as polished and dignified as the best of executives, and he was a gifted speaker, a fact that made Heidegger slightly wary when speaking to him. 

There was something about Veld that made his Turks fearlessly devoted to him, and that was his ability to connect with them on a personal level. The Turks was a very contained group, and they could only count on each other. Veld had made them his surrogate family, and there was nothing his Turks wouldn't do for him.

Tseng watched his superior get up from behind his desk. It was 10 minutes until the meeting. Tseng didn't want Veld to become professionally mangled because of Reno. He'd be a great addition, to be sure, but not at the cost of the Turks leader and mentor.

Veld noticed Tseng's expression, and asked, "What's wrong, Tseng? Afraid I'll lose my job?" This was so close to what Tseng was thinking that he actually stared at the Turk commander. Veld smiled faintly, "Don't worry. They won't fire me. They want to see this blow up in my face. They'll be disappointed, however, when Reno is every bit as good at the job as I always said he would be. Then they'll say that had been their idea all along, and that I'm paranoid."

Tseng nodded, "I know, sir. They did that to me. But sir, what if . . ." he trailed off, unsure whether to continue. Veld finished for him, "What if I'm trusting Reno too much, is that it?" Tseng nodded. Veld made a small gesture with his hands, "I'm trusting him as I've trusted all of you."

The slender Wutaian seemed reassured, smiling faintly as he mildly groused, "I have to work on hiding my expressions. You always know what I'm thinking." Veld tilted his head, "Only because I've personally trained you ever since you applied for the Turk job."

Tseng escorted Veld to the meeting room, standing at attention as Heidegger passed by, followed by Rufus ShinRa. Apparently he was once again subbing for his father, who wanted the young man to learn the ropes of upper management. But that wasn't it entirely, as Tseng knew Rufus was often genuinely interested in running the Company. He gave Tseng a small, fleeting, and ultimately very rare smile, which Tseng reciprocated. He'd known Rufus since the young man had been 7 years old.

As soon as the door closed, however, Tseng hurried to the Turk lounge, a big, comfortable space that wasn't really an office, or a lunch room or even a sleeping area, but a strange combination of all. That, and they had a huge TV and a coffee machine. Off-duty Turks were almost usually here.

As Tseng entered, the Turks in the lounge tensed, then relaxed, seeing it was Tseng by himself. Tseng noticed 2 Turks setting up some sort of grainy surveillance video on the TV, and with a mute expression of dismay, Tseng realized the images came from a bug in the air conditioning vent in the staff room where Veld was meeting with Heidegger and Rufus.

Tseng looked at his teammates reproachfully, especially at Miyuki who volunteered, "I almost peed myself in there, that vent was so cold." But as much as Tseng would have rebuked his teammates, when the meeting started, he helped others in shushing the noisier Turks, all the better to eavesdrop.

It was exactly as Veld foretold; Heidegger was more relaxed with the prospect of hiring Reno, but made it abundantly clear that, should Reno fail miserably, Veld would go down with him. In the end, they signed the necessary papers. Reno was officially a Turk.

Upon hearing the meeting adjourn, Miyuki pressed a few buttons and the TV screen showed a harmless home decorating program. What should have been a difficult job, Miyuki made seem easy, but Tseng was apprehensive.

He quietly asked her in Wutaian dialect, "How long has the bug been there?" She shrugged and answered in Wutaian as well, "Since last week, when my file was up for review. They called me, what was it, a lunatic!" Tseng frowned at her, but Veld came into the lounge.

He looked around at the Turks assembled there, and saw several tell-tale signs they'd been spying on him. For one, there were a lot of them. The lounge only filled up when something significant was going down. Then came the details.

Tseng wouldn't look at him, Rude fidgeted with his tie, Miyuki grinned fiendishly. Other Turks talked loudly, and the rest all attacked the same box of donuts simultaneously. Veld sighed and closed the door.

"I'll have to train you guys better; your poker faces are awful."

All the Turks ceased what they were doing to look at him, then had the grace to look embarrassed. One of them, a young woman, spoke up, "It's just you we have a problem lying to, sir." A murmur of agreement surged at the comment.

Veld arched his eyebrows, "Regardless, you must keep things to yourselves, even from me. Anyway, that's not what I came here for. You already seem to know, but I'll say it again: as of tonight, Reno Collins is a Turk."

"He'll be in tomorrow morning for a briefing, and start his training. I'll expect you all to be courteous to him. Even if you strongly disagree with his former occupation, we are professionals, and we will act as such." The Turk commander continued, looking at Tseng and Rude.

"The Turks in charge of Reno's training will be Rude and Tseng, because of their experience working with Reno in the TBF territory. That is all for tonight. Miyuki, nice work with the bug, but you'll have to take it down, now." Veld left, leaving Miyuki open mouthed, "How'd he . . .!?" Rude spoke in her ear, "If only you put that brilliant mind to good use, Miyuki." She burst out laughing, and groused, "Yeah, I'll put it to good use, to fix it on your shower wall and broadcast it on the internet." Rude frowned at her, but she had already left, and was currently arguing with another Turk over the last donut.

* * *

A/N: The kids made it to the Plate and all is momentarily well. And of course, I'll go ahead and complicate things for them! Just kidding, but I did say _momentarily_. 

Reno mooning the Turks . . . It just seemed like a very Reno thing to do.

Veld being friend as well as employer: This stems from the Gunshot Romance translations. It's obvious Veld cares for his Turks, and the Turks are crazily protective of Veld in return. I'm not going to give Before Crisis spoilers, but there are times in the game when either Veld or the Turks risk actual death for each other's sake.

And Cam in the coffee shop! It was so hilarious, 'cause when writing it I used two main sources of inspiration: the first was when I first tasted iced coffee. I kept thinking, "Eeewww, cold coffee?" But then I drank some, completely loved it, and drank like 3 big, 20 ounce cups of it. I was literally bouncing off the walls! The second experience was a pregnant friend of mine, who actually stopped talking in mid-sentence to just ask if caffeine was bad for her or the baby.

I wrote Tseng to have some sort of relationship with Rufus, mainly because it seems to me that Tseng and Rufus are two sides of the same coin, by implicit content. Let me explain myself. One character is the other's negative, their opposite image. Rufus dresses in white, Tseng in black (or dark blue, if you prefer). Rufus is a very public guy, doing the whole Junon parade thing in the game, while Tseng is very private and secretive. Rufus has the whole change of heart in Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus, and Tseng doesn't seem to change at all.

Mind you, when I say they have some sort of relationship, I don't mean anything Yaoi in nature. I don't have a problem with Yaoi, it's just that in my opinion, they seem more like brothers than anything else.

Miyuki is some sort of ADD spy, slightly manic/depressive, like most highly intelligent people are. She's a _wunderkind_, kind of a prodigy, but gets easily bored and then it's chaos. She likes getting a rise out of people. And she'd definitely carry out her threat to post soapy Rude over the internet. Rrrr, soapy Rude . . . Ahem!

Finally, I know i said I'd try to update regularly, but I also mentioned my brother's getting married. (Ugh, I have to wear this burgundy-red dress, with some corset thingy, and the shoes _kill_ me.) Pair that with the usual holiday crunch, and I'll be busier than a one-legged girl in an ass-kicking contest. We'll see what happens. Thanks for reading!

Read and review!!


	14. Headline News

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar or its slums, only my OC.

Tiny A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I'll try to do some overtime and have a chapter or so in reserve, to keep this kind of thing from happening again. On a personal note, the wedding was a big success, and everyone reading this should have themselves a very happy, if belated, Christmas and New Year's day!

Reno's officially a Turk, and Cam finally unloads her big secret.

* * *

Reno was in a small café with Cam, finishing, as he'd promised, the biggest meal they'd ever eaten. His temporary PHS rang, and a quick glance told Reno it was Rude. "Hey, Rude, what's up?" 

Rude's voice rumbled, "Congratulations, Reno. You got the job. You're a Turk now."

Reno let out a victorious whoop that made several patrons look at him as if he were a crazy man. Reno lowered his voice, "So now what?" Rude, who'd shook with silent laughter at Reno's victory cry, now said, "You need to come in at 8 o' clock for a briefing and orientation, then it's off to fill out the requisite paperwork."

Reno cackled maniacally, "Yes, _yes_, YES!! Check it out, I'm doing a little dance, unh-huh, unh-huh!" Rude snickered, "Reno, I can't see you. Stop scaring the innocent bystanders, wherever you are." Reno stopped his disorderly flailing, "Oh, right. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Rude assented, "Yes, tomorrow at eight. I'll meet you at the ShinRa Tower lobby. Good night, Reno." Reno, who was still grinning foolishly, agreed, "Good night indeed! See ya."

After he hung up, Reno looked at Cam. She was red in the face both out of embarrassment as well as from held in laughter. "I got the job, honey-girl!" Cam burst out laughing, "Yeah, I kinda figured it out. They're gonna kick us out of here, I know it."

Reno looked fearsomely around, "Yeah? I'd like to see them try! I'll kick their asses so fast they'll need-" Cam quickly said, "Here, try this!" and popped a bit of cake into his mouth to shut him up. He muttered, "Oh, hey, that's really good", his previous 'wrath' against the café's management forgotten.

After a mini shopping spree, in which Reno purchased presentable clothes for the next day, as well as a PHS for Cam, they were back in their hotel room. They settled down watching TV, lying on their stomachs on the bed.

Reno could tell something was stewing in Cam's mind, but knew she'd tell him sooner or later. They hadn't been intimate since the day before the cleanup. Reno had tried to start something the previous night, but the effort had proven unsuccessful; he stopped when she seemed preoccupied with something other than him.

Cam thought about telling him about her pregnancy then, but cut that idea out, thinking, "Best to let him settle at work first, and not worry about it." Reno stirred next to her, nudging her elbow with his. "Hey Cammy, once everything's cool with the job and all, let's get an apartment, and a job for you."

She jumped a bit at first, then gave him a strange smile, "Sure thing, hon."

* * *

The next morning, Reno woke up to get ready. Cam got up as well. "What are you doing up? Go back to bed!" Reno argued, but Cam shook her head, "Nah. Today I'm going apartment hunting. And job hunting. And stuff hunting, oh my God, I don't even have a tube of lip gloss!" Reno snickered, and a while later asked, "How do I look?" Cam winked at him, "Oooh, you look all pretty!" Reno frowned, "Pretty?!" Reno laughed when Cam amended quickly, "Pretty spectacular!" They went their separate ways out in the hotel lobby. 

Cam went to a newsstand and bought a paper. She sat down in a small coffee shop and scanned the classifieds. Still no job, but there was an apartment in the Sector 6 slums that seemed like a good prospect, even if it was in the same sector with Don Corneo. Reno went to ShinRa Tower, meeting Rude in the lobby. Rude looked him over, and muttered "You'll get the Turk uniform later today. Let's go, Veld's waiting."

Veld gave him the necessary keycards and introduced him to the heads of Department and the President. Reno met everyone except Rufus, as Tseng explained "He left late last night, down to Junon. Miyuki's with him."

Then Veld took Reno to Hojo's laboratory, explaining as they went about the mandatory Mako treatment he would have to endure. Reno looked around uneasily; half-seen creatures growled and skittered in their cages. Hojo himself came out of what looked like a holding cell, holding out a mean-looking syringe. Reno suppressed a shudder, thinking, "If he tries to stick me with that I'll punch him in the throat."

Hojo greeted them, and put the syringe in a tray next to a chart labeled '01'. "What's this, Veld? A new Turk?" the scientist asked in an oily, distracted voice, eyes gleaming darkly. Veld answered, "Yes, Dr. Hojo, Reno's just joined us, and needs to fill out the requisite file for the Mako treatments."

The doctor sniffed, "The nurse can help you with the papers. Have him down here tomorrow morning." Veld spoke up, "Doctor, it would be best to do it during the weekend. That way he won't lose workdays." Hojo seemed annoyed, "Fine, fine, this weekend then." Reno gulped, feeling a click in his throat. He didn't like Veld's implied stating that the Mako would have him out of work for two days.

Hojo led Veld out of the laboratory, talking about the forms Reno needed to fill out. Reno began to follow them but stopped, hearing a small rustle and a sharp intake of breath. It had come from the holding cell Hojo had come out of, with that huge syringe.

"Shit, I'd need help getting up from something like that," Reno thought, stepping into the open cell. He skidded to a halt, facing Sephiroth. The General was shirtless and sitting on a cot, holding his head between his palms. His eyes were closed, he looked to be in pain.

Reno was momentarily terrified, remembering in a flash how Sephiroth had skewered him through the chest with Masamune. The he mentally shook himself, "I work here now, he can't touch me. Besides, he looks as harmless as a kitten . . . a huge, muscle-bound kitten . . . just what the hell was in that syringe that's got the big 'n mighty Sephiroth like this?"

Reno cleared his throat quietly, letting Sephiroth know he was there. The silver-haired man opened his eyes and looked at Reno, letting go of his head. "Are you hurt or something? You need help?" Reno asked, then frowned as Sephiroth merely said, "No, I'm alright. Go away, please."

The newest Turk shrugged, "Fine, have it your way" and turned to leave. He heard Sephiroth mutter something. "What was that?" Reno asked, to which Sephiroth replied, "I said you're probably having a thrill, seeing me like this." Reno tilted his head, "Well, you did run me through with that huge sword of yours, and took your sweet time before listening to Tseng."

Sephiroth smiled coldly at Reno, "I was just carrying out my orders. It's not SOLDIER's fault Veld won't trust us with details. Either way, you'll soon be where I am today. I've been taking these shots since I was a kid, and I still get sick." Reno scoffed, "Fuck you, man. You're just trying to make me scared."

Sephiroth gave a hint of a shrug, "If you think so." Veld called for Reno, and the redhead left, Sephiroth's voice quietly calling out, "See you around, Reno . . ."

Much later that afternoon, Veld dispatched Reno. Reno was starving, but decided to call Cam first. The young Costan looked at her surroundings, her new apartment. It was definitely a step down from what she'd grown used to in the Sector 3 slums, but she felt immense satisfaction that it had been her doing; no one had had to help her get the apartment. It was small, but she didn't need an awful lot of room. Still, it needed some major refurbishing. Her PHS rang, cutting through her musings.

She picked up quickly, cheerily saying, "Hey, Reno! Guess what? I found an apartment! It's not much to look at, but wait till I'm done!" Reno congratulated her, and asked, "How'd you find it? Where is it?" Cam replied, "In the classifieds. I already filled out the paperwork. It's below-Plate, sector 6."

Reno scowled, "Cam, that's-" but she cut him off, "I know, Corneo's turf. I'll stay out of his way, babe, I promise. Anyway, I'm staying at a small inn here, tonight. It'll make job hunting easier."

She didn't tell Reno, but she'd been discouraged along the course of the day, as jobs were hard to find. Everything seemed to point towards a job at the Honeybee Inn, where pretty girls were never turned away.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was just like Reno in a way, a product of her environment. Reno knew violence, and she knew sex.

Reno grumbled, "Nooo, you already said the apartment is unlivable, stay with me! What's wrong with it, anyway?" Cam replied "The bed's horrible, the fridge is almost broken, and the bathroom is hideous." Reno teased, "Eeww, you can't stay there, with the hideous bed, the horrible fridge, and the almost broken bathroom." Cam snickered, but firmly said, "I'm staying at an inn."

The freshly-minted Turk headed to the cafeteria, still talking, "Either way, could you please meet me at the hotel room this weekend? I'll need some company; it's the first Mako treatment I'll have to take." Cam didn't much trust ShinRa, what with the rumors that went on about scientific manipulation, but assured Reno, "I'll be there, Reno. Here, write down my new address."

He did, and hung up a minute later. He was surprised at how lonely he felt all of a sudden, and heaved a small sigh. Then he straightened up when he saw Rude in the cafeteria. Reno went over to the tall Turk, asking, "Whatcha doing? Eating here, or to go?" Rude glanced at him, "I got it to go, I was headed to my apartment."

Rude noticed how the young Turk seemed downcast, and suggested, "You want some company for dinner?" Reno nodded enthusiastically, "Does Materia come in pretty colors? Of course, man, I don't know anyone here." Still, Reno's respite from loneliness was short-lived. After dinner, Rude left to his apartment, and Reno to the now-empty hotel room.

* * *

The following day, Reno felt like the 'oomph' was taken out of his morning. For the first time in several days, his bed was empty. Cam wasn't there to nag at him for hogging the bathroom, or to 'ooh' and 'aah' appreciatively at his brand-new uniform. Reno hated having to wear a tie, though. "Have to talk to Veld about that . . ." he mused, trying to get his hair to behave. It didn't want to. 

Still, it was his first day as an official Turk, and he intended to make Veld look good, not to mention the guys.

Tseng had taken the morning to show Reno around the Turk quarters, showing him the Turk lounge and the living quarters, where Turks could live if they so chose. Then Tseng took Reno to the training room, telling him about combat training. Reno was a bit apprehensive, thinking, "I don't have any training at all! This is gonna suck . . ."

The Turk field leader recognized signs of stress in his new associate, and reassured him, "While Turks are required to pass a series of strenuous physical exams on a semi-annual basis, the training is designed to evaluate each one's unique style, and work from there to any other areas you're not good at. Don't worry, you'll do fine."

After a short sparring session with another Turk, a trainer cheered him by asking, "You're a very good street fighter! Any weapon in particular you like to use?"

Reno nodded, "I can shoot just fine, but if it were up to me, I'd always use stuff like a nightstick, or a crowbar or something." The trainer looked at Tseng a little apprehensively. Tseng shrugged.

The trainer gave a small cough and suddenly perked up, "I remember! We do have a weapon that's seems to fit your description, but so far it's proven a bit unpopular among Turks. Most of them avoid a close-up, direct confrontation in favor of long-distance weapons, like guns."

Reno scoffed, "Pansies." Tseng gave him a quick glance, instantly shutting the redhead up. The trainer went to a locker room and came out fairly quickly. In his hands he held an unremarkable-looking metal rod with the ShinRa logo on it.

Reno groused, "C'mon, man, don't be so literal!" The trainer handed him the weapon, simply saying, "Just try it out, will you? Press that button on the side." Reno did, and immediately the tip of the weapon exploded in crackling arcs of white-blue electricity.

Reno was so startled he almost dropped the weapon, shouting, "Whoa! What the hell! This is cool, how much is this thing packing?" The trainer took in Reno's delighted expression and knew the Electromagnetic Rod had found its owner.

"It's adjustable, through a small knob on the bottom. It ranges from a tiny current such as massage therapists use, to taser strength, to full out death by electrocution." The trainer gave a bit more explanation on the EMR, but Reno turned it off and held it tight to his chest, "Mine! I want it!"

* * *

Once more, it was early evening when Veld finally dispatched Reno. The older man did so, looking slightly miffed at something Tseng whispered to his ear. Rude had already left, and Reno thought about the lonely night ahead. He didn't know the Sector, and going barhopping by himself wasn't really an option. Still, he went into a seedy-looking bar right next to ShinRa Tower, looking to get a few drinks.

* * *

"What does she mean she doesn't know where he is?" Veld asked Tseng, making the young man look uncomfortable, "Exactly that, sir, I'm afraid. She says they came in from Junon nearly an hour ago, and he dispatched her, claiming he was already in ShinRa Tower and thus didn't warrant the protection of a Turk escort." 

Veld grumbled, "Since when is Miyuki this obedient . . .? Go home, Tseng. Tomorrow's your day off. I'll see what I can do, as quietly as possible. No one needs to know Miyuki lost Rufus ShinRa."

* * *

Reno was halfway through his third drink when a handsome young man ordered a drink next to him. The youth looked about Reno's age, and seemed slightly depressed. Reno, made through his years in TBF into a social creature, lightly asked, "Tough day?" 

The young man nodded and looked at Reno, eyes widening in recognition of Reno's uniform. He looked so surprised for a moment Reno laughed, "Relax, man, I wasn't sent out for you." The young man gave a brief laugh, looking at Reno strangely. "Um, yeah, it was kind of a hard day for me. How about you?"

Reno shrugged, swirling his drink, "I just started working as a Turk." The youth seemed curious, "How've you liked it so far?" Reno finished his drink, "It's been good, lots of paperwork, though, can't say I saw that coming. And you're officially the first actual person I know in this sector that isn't work-related. What's your name?"

The young man offered his hand, a guilty look flitting over his eyes, "My name's Seifer."

Reno looked at his new drinking buddy. He was a good-looking young man, with dark blonde hair and brown eyes. He looked vaguely familiar to Reno, but he couldn't place him. Either way, Reno meant to have a good time, and by the end of the night, him and Seifer did their best to run the bar out of liquor.

The next morning, Reno woke up spread-eagled on the floor of Reno's hotel room, using an unknown girl as a pillow. He looked around for Seifer, and found him in a similar position, but with two girl. Reno didn't know them either. The redhead muttered, "Lucky pretty boy . . ." as he headed to the bathroom to pee and wash his face.

On top of the toilet sat a whiskey bottle. Reno shrugged, muttering, "Hair of the dog . . ." and took a healthy swig. When finished in the bathroom, Reno dressed in his now woefully crumpled uniform. He dressed sloppily, not tucking in (or even completely buttoning) his shirt. He also seemed to have lost his tie.

He left the bathroom only to come face to face with a decidedly queasy-looking Seifer. Reno commiserated and handed him the whiskey bottle, then did a double take. 'He could have sworn Seifer's eyes had been dark brown last night, but they were dark blue now. He had an eerie resemblance to- "Nah" thought Reno.

The young man groaned appreciatively and took a swig to rival Reno's before heading to the bathroom as well. A few minutes later, both young men stood side by side, surveying the damage they'd done to the room.

There were countless bottles of liquor, mostly empty. The curtain had been torn down, and one of the girls seemed to have fashioned herself a toga with it, one of three girls whose names they couldn't remember and didn't really want to face just yet.

"Let's get the fuck outta here," Reno mumbled, and Seifer agreed, "Yeah, let's go." They put on their shoes and stepped out into the hallway, making their way downstairs. Reno noticed tat Seifer kept looking around anxiously, almost, but shrugged it off. Still, Seifer really _did_ look familiar. They got out of the elevator and stepped into the biggest task force Reno had ever seen.

They seemed surprised to see him and Seifer, who groaned miserably. One of the men grabbed a bullhorn, and looking only at Reno, instructed, "State your terms! We're waiting for a negotiator, but President ShinRa wants you to know you'll get whatever you want!"

"What the _fuck_!" Reno exclaimed, wondering why they were treating him as a terrorist, as Seifer told him, "Oh, shit! Listen, Reno, put your hands up, and don't move a muscle." He saw Seifer sigh, walking towards the men, and realized, "Not terrorist, but a fucking kidnapper," as the bullhorn guy asked, "Are you alright, Vice-President ShinRa?"

Seifer called out, "It's OK, I'm fine! This is all a misunderstanding." Reno was still mouthing to himself he words "Vice-President Rufus ShinRa" when several MPs tackled him to the ground.

* * *

Tseng was enjoying his day off. He'd slept in to the ridiculously leisurely hour of 9:13, and was still in his pajama bottoms, sipping tea with milk. He turned on the news, to see what was going on in the fair city of Midgar this lovely morning. 5 minutes later the milk tea was cooling on top of the TV, as Tseng pelted into his room to put on his uniform, calling Veld.

* * *

What could've been a publicity nightmare was quickly and neatly disarmed by both the President and Vice-President ShinRa, who pulled together a press conference and made it all seem as an "Aw-shucks-the-errors-of youth" kind of thing. Reno had gained a type of notoriety for having spent a night out in town with Rufus ShinRa. 

The fact that Rufus was actually a year younger than Reno wasn't even mentioned.

Reno felt queasy throughout the whole ordeal, and he wasn't allowed to talk, not even when reporters addressed questions directly at him. When the conference ended and the two ShinRas smiled and waved, Reno heard the President mutter at his son, "I don't care if you're my son, Rufus, next stunt you pull like this-" Rufus replied in an irritated voice, "relax, old man. I've just put this Company on the common folks' level." Neither of them stopped smiling (or even waving) while thus growling at each other.

That was only the beginning. As soon as Reno stepped off the podium, he was reprimanded harshly by Tseng, who seemed livid, then instructed to go to an empty office nearby. There, Veld reprimanded him as well, albeit less harshly than Tseng.

"Reno, you could've been shot. The Vice-President could've been hurt. The media would've taken this Company apart." Veld said in a grave tone, Reno feeling guilty and frustrated. "But sir, he gave me an alias, he looked and acted different. I didn't know." Reno defended himself.

Veld sighed, "He's done this before, Reno. He gets bored easily when everyone knows him. The Vice-President is still young, and not yet resigned to his status as one of the world's most famous faces."

He looked grimly at Reno now, "I'm not going to fire you for two reasons. One, I know you're much better than this. And two, even if I wanted to, I can't. The Vice-President has notified me that he's personally endorsing you to stay in our employment. Sloppy uniform and all, says it shows a more relaxed side of the Company. Regardless of this, Reno, next time something like this happens, you may find that sometimes Turks forgo personal endorsements."

Reno left the office, only to come face to face with Tseng. He looked at the Wutaian Turk apprehensively when Tseng coldly told him to go into yet another empty office. Reno did so quietly, thinking, "Ah, fuck, who is it now?"

Rufus ShinRa waited for him in that last office. He looked more like himself, having lost the tinted contact lenses and combed his hair back in the usual manner. Still, he felt guilty. Tseng had just been in, admonishing him for his behavior.

The young man motioned at Reno to close and lock the door. Reno did, then turned around, growling, "Rufus ShinRa!? The fucking Vice-President of the Company! Man, what the fuck!? Or, should I say, what the fuck, _sir_."

Rufus blinked in surprise. Needless to say, this was the first time in his life the young man found himself addressed thus. Still, he tried to make things a bit better, "Look, Reno, I'm sorry about his whole mess. I wanted to just have some fun, with someone without any social or political agenda."

Reno shouted, "What the hell are you-", but Rufus cut him off hotly, "No asskissers, Reno! I was surprised you didn't know me, being a Turk and all. I took advantage. It was . . ." he frowned, having never truly apologized to anyone before, "-it was wrong of me. I'm sorry you had to go through this, but I'm not sorry about last night itself."

Reno scoffed, "Well, shit, of course you don't! You're the President's little boy, nothing's ever gonna happen to you! Never mind me, the fucking underling who's been chewed on by everyone today, all because you wanted to party." He began turning away, then turned back around, "You know, next time you wanna have fun, have the decency to call off the manhunt before they pin someone else for terrorism and kidnapping, sir!"

With that, Reno spun around and left, slamming the door behind him.

Rufus gaped at the closed door, mouth actually hanging open. He was shocked. Nothing even remotely like this had ever happened. "The crazy bastard just told me off!" he thought dazedly, "He gave me a piece of his mind and walked out on me!" He sank back down in his chair and began to laugh.

* * *

An hour or so later, Reno got to Cam's new apartment. Noting his grim and surly demeanor, she innocently asked, "What is it, hon? How was your day?" He gave her a wilting look, but she simply stared back, asking "What?" Reno scowled, "You really don't know? C'mon, Cam, it was all over the fuckin' TV!" Cam shouted back, "I don't have one!" 

Reno saw his friend wasn't teasing. He calmed down and told her everything. Cam chortled gleefully, "Fuckin' A, Reno! First week as a Turk and you went on a drunken orgy with Rufus ShinRa!" Reno snickered as well, then looked astonished, "Shit yeah! And then I told him off for tricking me! You shoulda seen him! He looked about to pass out or something!"

For the remainder of the day, Reno helped Cam fix her apartment, but not before modeling his uniformed look, receiving the much-sought "oohs" and "aahs". As they worked making her apartment livable, Cam told him about thinking of working in the Honeybee Inn, and Reno told her all about his first week, and about the Mako treatment he'd have to endure the next day.

It had been moved up, in part to punish him (or so Reno thought), and in part to take advantage of the three day suspension Tseng had given him. Cam promised she'd be there to take care of him.

Early evening the next day, Rude helped Reno into his hotel room. This was against his better judgment. People who endured Mako treatments usually staid in the laboratory, getting monitored by Hojo. Still, Reno had pled and insisted on Rude bringing him here, persisting that he had a friend who'd come over to take care of him.

* * *

Rude placed Reno on the bed, the redhead shuddering uncontrollably as the Mako burned its way through his body. Reno curled on his side, retching and groaning miserably. Rude remembered his own first treatment with a shudder, then looked at his friend, forcibly reminded of a dear cousin of his, who'd died of a mysterious stomach disease. Near the end, he'd been as Reno was now; pale and wretchedly in pain. He walked out of the room, leaving the door unlocked as Reno specified before the treatment. 

Downstairs, Cam waited for the Turk to go away. She'd ducked into the hotel's gift shop, shivering slightly. She was still afraid of Turks, never mind if Reno was one himself. Once she saw him go away, she went up.

Cam gasped at the sight of him, "Reno! Oh my God, honey, what did they do to you?" She sat on the bed and pulled him so his head was on her lap, soothing him when the muscle or stomach spasms got too bad, talking softly to him when he seemed to regain some consciousness.

It was very early the following morning when Reno was conscious enough to look around. His muscles ached from the involuntary spasming, and he noticed Cam, snoring softly, sitting up in bed. Reno had been sleeping on her legs. "Man, I was out of it. I don't even remember Cam being here . . ." he thought, struggling to sit up.

Cam woke up, "What's the matter, hon, feeling better?" She helped him sit up, grimacing as her calves and legs were overcome with the tingling sensation of needles and pins. Reno noticed her sitting perfectly still. He smirked and jiggled her foot with his own. Cam squealed, "Ow-ow-ow! Reno, you shitty bastard, after I took care of you!"

Reno kissed her cheek, "I'm sorry." The he lay back down, giving her a smug look, "You do know you fell for it, right? That this was all just my master plan to have you back here? You're like the world's hottest nurse. You'll have to feed me and give me a sponge bath. Yay!"

Cam snickered, "Oh, is that right?" Reno nodded, then sobered up, "But seriously, Cam, thanks for being here." She squeezed his hand, "Don't mention it, Reno."

* * *

It was the day before Reno was scheduled to work again. He'd fully recovered from the Mako treatment, and seemed enthusiastic about returning to work. Cam, however, was a nervous mess. She'd decided to tell Reno about the baby. They were in her apartment, as Reno had accompanied her home. 

"So, um, Reno," she began, "I, uh, got a call back from the Honeybee. I start out there next week." Reno spoke up, "That's cool, they know you're a kickass dancer-" Cam interrupted, "I won't be dancing, Reno. At least not for a year." Reno frowned, "How come? I mean, the manager knows you, even tried to give you a better offer last year." Cam shook her head, "No-I mean, yeah, they know me, but . . . Reno, I'm pregnant."

Reno gaped at her, "You're pregnant?" Cam nodded. Reno took a sharp breath, "It's me, isn't it?"

Now came the hard part, the part Cam didn't want to perform, but felt like she had to. Her baby couldn't be compromised because Reno was a Turk.

"I-I'm not sure, Reno."

* * *

A/N: Let there be angst! I said they weren't ready for this baby just yet, and that Cam wanted the baby for the wrong reasons, and they're both going about it the wrong way. 

But for a change of topic, how about that drunken binge Reno and Rufus had? I have no idea where that came from! The false name he gave Reno, BTW, is one of the big villains in Final Fantasy 8, who I just think is so similar to Rufus it's creepy.

And I had intended to make the Turks Mako free, but seeing just how they fought in Advent Children, it seemed like they had some more 'oomph' to them than the other characters (I mean, Spider-Reno? Rude withstanding a friggin' traffic sign on the head? And remember how Tseng and Elena were supposedly close to death, but that same day they're in Edge rescuing Rufus?) And Mako looks like it hurts, in the game it put Cloud into a coma, and in DoC it was used to preserve corpses, so it seems like really powerful stuff.

And yeah, Miyuki also got to get a terrific chewing out by Tseng and Veld for 'losing' Rufus.

And yet again, Read and Review!


	15. Distance

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar or its slums, only my OC.

Tiny A/N: I know people are just going to rant and rave at me (and Cam) for the beginning of this chapter, but work with me! Read on! Things will work out! (I think) Read and Review, please!

* * *

"I-I'm not sure, Reno." 

He frowned, looking closely at her eyes. He thought he saw something else in her gaze, some kind of reassurance, of agreement. "Bullshit," he said, beginning to smile, "You're lying. There wasn't anyone else-"

Cam cut him off, "Yes there was. There was another guy, back before we left the slum. It wasn't much of a relationship, just the occasional booty call." She mentally beat herself. She'd meant to tell Reno the baby wasn't his at all, but she couldn't do it.

An uncomfortable silence invaded the small apartment. Reno cleared his throat, "W-well, how about that. Where's he now?"

Cam shrugged nonchalantly, "I don't know, and I don't care. Thing is, I'm having this baby, by myself."

The way she stressed that last part gave Reno a hint of her intentions. He asked, "So, um, what's the bottom line, Cam? What are you asking me?" She looked at him coldly, "I'm saying that . . . I think some distance would be best, for everyone. I don't want you getting the wrong idea about the baby, after all . . ."

He nodded, "Fine. . . Fine. Distance it is, Cam." He spoke easily enough, but the set of his shoulders and face gave Cam all the information she ever wanted about how much it hurt him to walk away from her now.

Reno went to the door, then turned around, "If . . . If you should ever want to . . . I don't know, talk or something, you know how to find me." She nodded, a knot in her throat, when what she really wanted to do was confess this whole lie, to shout and laugh and hug him. "Yeah, sure thing, Reno. Same here. You're always welcome here."

He went to the door and opened it, then turned and gave her a last, long look. He saw sadness, and that same furtive, desperate agreement he'd seen earlier. Cam held his gaze with her own, pleading him silently to go away before she lost her self-control. She saw betrayal, hurt she'd deliberately caused to one she held so dear.

Reno left, closing the door quietly behind him.

Cam leaned against the closed door, breathing shakily, thinking, "I did it. I did it. He'll keep away, the baby's safe, and so am I . . ." Her eyes welled up as she hated herself for the lies she'd told. She sobbed once, then once more, then cried for what could've been, but would never be, for what she'd so desperately wanted but was now denied.

In the blink of an eye, almost a month had passed.

Reno stood outside the building Cam lived in. He felt torn. He both didn't want to be there, and at the same time, felt an actual need to be there. "It's all Cam's fault," he thought, frowning up at the building.

His first month as a Turk had royally sucked. He'd had to put up with a lot of training, as well as the condescension of some Department Heads, particularly Heidegger and Scarlet. Several other ShinRa workers, SOLDIERs and even a couple of fellow Turks made comments about Reno's slouch, accented speech and mannerisms, all straight from the slums.

Rude and Tseng helped, but they too sometimes slipped up, acting surprised that Reno could fully understand Costan dialect, and that he managed computers well.

And to top it all off, Cam had let herself get knocked up, and had the complete _gall_ to tell him she didn't know who the father was.

Reno felt hurt that she said this, when he'd been so sure she'd been seeing no one but him recently. But she'd said she wanted him out of her life, and her baby's, and Reno would comply, even if he wanted to shake her and make her tell him the truth.

He was actually there to give her a sizeable chunk of his first Turk check, "Not for her . . . for the baby," he thought, feeling the cash in his jacket pocket as he went up the stairs and to her door. He knew that on a Honey Bee waitress salary, she wouldn't be able to make ends meet, not with the added responsibility of a soon-to-be-there baby.

Reno was sure she'd balk at receiving money from him, would be pretty much offended, actually. She hated having to depend on people for money. He'd have to convince her, to make her see that the money was for the baby. Also, he wanted to see if she'd started to show yet. He knew he was being ridiculous, that it was too soon for her to show, but still . . .

Cam sat at the counter, feeling frustrated. No matter how she tried, how many tips she got, it was becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet. "And I haven't been able to even see a doctor yet . . ." she thought, looking gloomily at the pile of bills. She got up to walk around the small room, to clear her mind.

The doorbell buzzed.

Cam frowned, going up to the door. She looked through the peephole, and exclaimed, "Reno?!" before she could catch herself. She hadn't seen the redhead in weeks, ever since she'd told him about the baby. Outside, Reno shuffled his feet, mumbling, "Yeah, it's me. Lemme in."

She did, and Reno walked in. "U-um, hi," she stammered, going to the counter and gathering up the bills, "Can I get you anything?" Reno shook his head, "Nah, it's OK . . ."

Cam looked at him, her eyes hungry for the familiar sight of him. He looked so much the same, only more tired and serious than she was used to seeing him. His Turk uniform still made him seem menacing, though.

Reno was also eating her up with his gaze. She obviously didn't show yet, but they'd known each other most of their lives. Reno could tell something had changed within her. She was different, somehow. He couldn't point out the differences, but knew and felt them nonetheless.

Reno sighed, "Cam, we need to talk." She took out a jug of water and poured herself some, asking, "Yeah? What about?" He replied, "About you and the baby." She drank her water, giving herself time to think about her answer, "What about me and my baby?"

The young Turk drew in a soft gasp at her obvious emphasis on that last part, '_my_ baby'. "So she's really cutting me out of the picture," Reno thought, amazed at how much the prospect hurt.

"Cam, I know you're gonna need some help with those bills, so here." He took out the money and offered it to her. She shook her head, "No, hon, I don't need you to do this." Reno put the money on the counter, quietly arguing, "I know the Honey Bee doesn't pay well, and the taxes are high. Either way, I'll just waste this money if you don't take it."

She shrugged, "It's yours to waste." Reno sighed, "Cammy, please, don't do this. It's for the baby, for you to go to the Doctor, get what you need. It's not for the rent, or the bills, or anything."

Cam had been nearly overcome, hearing him plead with her. She admitted defeat, slumping her shoulders as she muttered something Reno didn't quite catch, her frame quivering slightly. "Cam, I-" he began, but she cut him off, "Stop it, Reno!"

Her sharp tone and angry posture took Reno aback, as she continued, "I mean, all these weeks, not one call, where the hell were you!" Now it was Reno's turn to be angry, as he retorted, "What the hell are you saying, you're the one who-"

She scoffed, "What, turned you away?" Cam laughed bitterly, "Reno, you, _you_ of all people should know why I did it! But you obviously don't. So, what, now you're giving me a handout?"

Reno narrowed his eyes, angry and full of doubts. He growled at her, "I already told you, the money's not for you, it's for the baby. It's not the baby's fault _you're_ its mother." She blanched and stared at him, "What did you say?" Reno was furious at her for putting him in this position, for pinning her troubles on him and flaring up at him when all he wanted was to help, to somehow be involved.

All the month's frustrations rushed out, as Reno focused his anger on her, shouting, "It's not the baby's fault his mother's stupid enough to fuck up and get knocked up, to not know who the father is!"

Cam opened her mouth but Reno continued, "I guess it's not the baby's fault that the mother's working the Honeybee, practically begging for tips because she's too fucking stubborn to let me help! Well, shit, Camryn, I guess it really isn't the baby's fault you're its mother, huh?!"

She let out a small cry and sat down on the springy old couch Reno remembered helping her carry into the apartment, just a few weeks ago. He'd set it down on her foot, and they laughed when they sat on it later on and every little move they made elicited the strangest squeaks from the sofa's battered springs.

She felt sucker-punched by the animosity she heard in his voice. He'd never spoken this cruelly to her before, and a quick glance into his livid face, his glinting, hard eyes let her know that somewhere deep, deep down, he was enjoying this.

Cam began to cry, in short, angry sobs that described better than words her frustration, her anger and sadness. Reno looked down on her, a small part of him viciously glad she was crying, that she was as miserable as she'd made him feel. And yet, another part of him was horrified at the way he'd spoken to her.

This wasn't just any girl; this was _Cam_, his best friend, his occasional lover, his nurse, confidant, playmate, drinking buddy, cook, hostess, and how she cried now, and it was all his doing.

He knew she was always careful of unwanted pregnancies, what with the job she had in the slums. This baby was no mistake. His sympathetic side won him over, making him feel bad. He crouched in front of her.

She cried like the young girl she still was, fisted hands ground against her eyes. He started, "Cammy . . ." She wouldn't look at him, sobbing, "L-leave me a-alone." Reno sighed and stood up, "Cam, I'm sorry. I just . . . got angry at you, 'cause you got angry at me. I'm sorry. Please don't cry."

Finally she looked at him, crying, "Y-you've changed, Reno! I left e-everyone and e-everything I knew, because y-you asked me too, a-and now you've changed and I'm a-all alone!"

Reno anxiously shuffled his feet. He'd never seen Cam this upset with him. "C'mon, Cam, I haven't changed! Get it together, girl." Cam covered her face with her hands, asking in a muffled, weepy voice, "Yes you have! Please, leave."

Reno stammered, "B-but Cam-" but again she pled, "Please, Reno, just go." He saw how useless it was to try anything else at the moment, and quietly left.

Only much later that night, after he'd drunk more than his fair share alone in his apartment did he realize what Cam had meant; that he of all people should know why she pushed him away from what he just knew in an instinctual part of him was truly his child.

He remembered how it was down in the slums, when he'd been in TBF. Turks were feared down there, seen as the Company's will made manifest. The average person hated the Turks, because they were dangerous and because they seemed so detached from normal human endeavors, exuding an aura of invincibility.

After all, hadn't he himself made things exceedingly difficult for Tseng and Veld, simply because he felt like it?

Why?

Because they were Turks, and you had to stick 'em where it hurt whenever you could, because Turks seemed indestructible but really weren't. The only Turk Reno had ever truly seen lost her cool had been a female Turk caught spying on Cort.

Even when all hope was lost for her, she never cried or begged. It was only when a young man was brought out that the woman shook. He cried out to her, asking her what was going on. Reno had done some spying of his own, and it turned out that the female Turk had married in secret.

That was the young man, and everyone jeered that he himself didn't know what his wife did. The man was shot in the head. The Turk had begun to cry then, her tears rolling down her face as she trembled and apologized to her husband's corpse, "I'm so sorry. I failed you. I thought I could keep you safe. I'm so sorry."

The men had continued to taunt her, turning her heartfelt plea into a mockery of the pain she felt. In the end it had been Reno himself who, sick with the increasingly cruel taunts, shot and killed the woman. Cort, impressed with Reno's spying (not to mention the rare spectacle of a captured, crying Turk), had given Reno his facial marks a couple of weeks after that.

The Turks' weak point, their Achilles heel, were the people they loved, and desperately wanted to keep safe.

Reno sat up abruptly, the whiskey bottle falling to the floor with a muted thump as he realizes what Cam had meant, what her actions represented.

Several emotions stirred within him. Shame at having been cruel to her. Anger for being so stupid he couldn't see things for what they were till it was too late. Guilt over having made Cam come to this unfair conclusion. Overwhelming happiness at her unwitting admission that the baby was truly his. This was bittersweet for him, because as happy as he was with Cam's pregnancy, he knew a normal family life was off-limits.

God forbid someone like he himself used to be decided to gather up info on this violet-eyed girl who the Turk had a baby with. Anyone could hurt her and the baby, just to impress their boss, as he himself had impressed Cort.

"It could be me next time, telling her corpse how sorry I am that I couldn't keep her safe." Reno though, and on the heels of that thought, "Hang on! She got pregnant before I was supposed to become a Turk!"

That observation, and all it spoke of Cam's motivations and feelings for him overwhelmed him, and Reno decided he didn't want to think any more. He tried to go to sleep, and stared at the roof for the rest of the night.

* * *

The Doctor estimated her to be about 7 weeks pregnant. He hooked up a fetal monitor to her as yet unchanged stomach, and Cam heard the baby's heartbeat. It was so fast! Her own heart rate sped up, and so did the baby's. The Doctor tutted at her, "Don't get overexcited." Cam didn't listen; she was too busy grinning at the small speaker from which her baby's heartbeat resonated. 

Reno had decided Cam had the right idea, and that putting some distance between them was a smart move. He visited her when she called, telling him of her visit to the Doctor. She still didn't show, but she seemed so happy as she described the baby's staccato heartbeat.

It was awkward between them, since that last, huge fight. They didn't know what was appropriate to say hello or good bye, now that they'd decided to not be overly familiar with one another.

* * *

At ten weeks of pregnancy, Cam was overcome with severe morning sickness. The Doctor claimed it was odd, that morning sickness usually _vanished_ at ten weeks, not _begin_. That time, Reno only sent his usual biweekly contribution to the baby's welfare. He called once, but seemed too distracted for Cam to really talk to him. 

Thing was, Reno had taken Veld's words to heart, and was doing his best to do his job to the maximum of his abilities. People were beginning to be impressed by him, after having first acted with condescension and ridicule against him.

* * *

At the thirteenth week of pregnancy, Cam's absurd morning sickness left her for good, and she developed a bizarre craving for dairy products, obsessed in particular with raspberry yogurt. The baby moved while she was trying to sleep, and she'd been so startled she'd actually cried out. 

Her hard, thumping heartbeat made the baby move even more vigorously and Cam had both laughed and cried a little, wishing she could just have someone, anyone, to share this moment with. "Not just anyone . . ." she thought, stroking her softly rounding belly.

Reno had begun acquiring a different kind of status at work. Not only was he terrific at his job, but he could party with the best of them. He'd attained the status of a ladies' man, seldom seen at a bar without a hopeful girl at his side. For all that, Rude knew for a fact Reno didn't always go home with them.

He'd also decided to make a pet project out of Miyuki a few weeks earlier. The Wutaian Turk wasn't much of a social butterfly, but Reno was determined to change that. He kept failing, as Miyuki either threatened to blast him to pieces with her high-powered sniper rifle, or literally beat him to death, or simply vanished without a trace.

Rufus didn't make things easier, as he kept going on business trips, on which he insisted Miyuki accompany him. It turned out the Vice-President liked and enjoyed Miyuki's bizarre brand of humor (though he'd confessed this only to Tseng). Tseng had his apprehensions, as Miyuki often "lost" Rufus, but he had vouched for her just as he'd vouched for Reno.

* * *

When Cam was about 21 weeks pregnant, the baby moved so much she sometimes felt queasy. She had to sit down frequently at work, as her feet got tired. She had finally seen a good sonogram picture of her baby, and shushed the Doctor when he tried to tell her what she'd have. She wanted the baby's sex to be a surprise. 

She bought all she needed to receive the baby, managing the money Reno sent wisely. She also went to movie matinees when she felt too lonely, and called Reno once, just to check up on him. He began sending short letters with the biweekly money. Cam took this to mean he didn't much want to talk to her, and stopped calling him at all.

Reno, meanwhile, missed her phone calls, and really wanted to see her. He'd snuck around her apartment building, and nearly fell over when he saw her. Her belly seemed huge, compared to the last time he'd actually seen her. It took all his self-restraint to not run up to her and give her a squeeze.

* * *

At 33 weeks of pregnancy, Cam was overcome with the overwhelming desire to clean her apartment, and was obsessed with window shopping, always buying tiny little items of clothing for her baby. The Doctor told her about the impending labor, and described the signs so she'd recognize them. Cam couldn't afford Lamaze classes, so she instead bought a book about it and read it almost compulsively. 

Reno had begun dating a beautiful girl who worked at ShinRa Tower as a civil engineer. She came from a rich family in Junon, and had been one of the people who'd made the loudest comments against Reno's slum attitude earlier on. He'd though her a snob (but a very pretty one at that), and began romancing her in earnest. She seemed to reciprocate.

* * *

At 38 weeks of pregnancy, Cam went into labor.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, their relationship took some major damage from that fight early on. However, and I hope this came through, they still very much care for each other. Each is doing what they think best, and the result is this awkward place they're in right now. Cam asked for distance, so she could protect and focus on her baby, and Reno has begun dating someone else. 

As for the stages of Cam's pregnancy, I placed those small intervals describing both the progression of her pregnancy, and the progression of their distancing efforts.

Finally, yeah, Reno has almost become good friends with Miyuki, since they're both the Turk version of problem children. They both got blamed for the "Rufus ShinRa kidnapping" thing, remember? Also, Miyuki gets along well with Rufus, because even if he gets her in trouble, she knows him well enough to appreciate his need to escape from the ShinRa legacy once in a while. That, and she makes him laugh with her violent jokes.


	16. Happy

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar or its slums, only my OC.

Tiny A/N: Yay! Baby!

* * *

Everything was gone. The fright of going into labor in her apartment, by herself. The flare of humiliation at the nurses' unspoken labeling her a slut on account of her youth, workplace, and reluctance to give out any kind of information about the baby's father. Gone was the awful pain she'd had to endure by herself.

The moment the Doctor had declared "Congratulations! It's a boy," and started the baby crying, everything vanished, ceased to matter. All she was concerned with was her tiny, angry son.

The nurse had wrapped the baby in a soft blanket and handed him to her while the Doctor patched her up with a mid-level Restore. Cam looked at her baby. He still hiccupped angrily, face and limbs slightly reddened and swollen from the difficult, exhausting birth.

She tried to soothe him, stroking his small body, murmuring "Shh, it's OK now, everything's fine." Cam was pleasantly surprised when it worked, the baby quieting down quickly.

For a moment, the dark fears that she'd be an unfit mother, that hard times lay ahead, tried to rear their ugly heads, but Cam squashed them down, choosing instead to savor this first meeting with her son.

A few days later, when she'd been given the go-ahead to go back to her apartment, Cam had gotten the baby settled in and called Reno. He didn't pick up. Cam sighed, hung up, and put her things away. Either Reno really couldn't answer her call, or he didn't want to.

Over at ShinRa Tower, Tseng was briefly startled as something vibrated loudly in Reno's desk. The Turk leader opened the desk drawer and saw Reno's personal PHS. Its screen was flashing and displayed "Incoming Call: Honey B" Tseng smiled and shut the drawer, thinking, "Only Reno. The strippers call _him_ instead of it being the other way around."

He glanced back at his desk and saw the big pile of papers that demanded his attention. He sneered at them lightly, but sat back down to his work.

* * *

It was several hours later that Reno and Rude got back, looking dirty and irritable. At Tseng's raised eyebrow, Reno explained, "Numbnuts here got us lost in the train graveyard", jerking a thumb at Rude, who scoffed, "I didn't see you making any clever suggestions."

Reno made a face at Rude, who curtly nodded at him once, as if asking if the redhead wanted to pursue the matter further. He didn't. Reno flopped onto his desk chair and checked his personal PHS, frowning as he saw Cam's number. She'd called three days earlier, but Reno had been on a date and hadn't answered.

Tseng asked, "Ladies giving you a hard time?" and Reno replied quickly, "Yeah, they find me irresistible. Gonna have to break their hearts, though. I got a date tonight." Miyuki strode in, "Oh, really? What, the dishy blonde from the Engineering Department?"

Reno nodded, "Yup, the one and only." Miyuki stapled a sheaf of papers in her hand and teased "Heh heh, what's this? More than a month with the same girl? My God, Reno!" Reno shrugged, "Well, since you keep resisting me and won't put out . . ." Miyuki punched him in the arm lightly, scoffing, "Just live with the fact that I don't find you enticing."

Tseng took Miyuki's report from her hands, warning the two Turks, "Stop the arguing." Reno wailed at Miyuki, "Aah, why don't you find me enticing?" Miyuki winked at Reno, " 'Cause I'm a lesbian." Reno laughed, "Bullshit. You were screwing Jeremy from Accounting last week."

Tseng sighed, "Guys, please take your discussion on each other's sex-lives elsewhere." Miyuki winked at Tseng, then told Reno, "Who told you that?" Reno shrugged mysteriously, "The walls have ears in ShinRa HQ, Ki-bird." He used the little pet name he'd given her during an undercover mission, and the name stuck. Miyuki stuck her tongue out at Reno, "Ahh, you're just jealous I put out for a number-crunching nerd instead of you. Ha!"

Rude snickered and Tseng winced at this. Reno gave Miyuki and the Turks a pained look and, having nothing else to say, left, Miyuki's triumphant cackle ringing in his ears.

* * *

He actually forgot about Cam's phone call, remembering it after he'd gone to his small room at the ShinRa Living Quarters, cleaned up and parked in front of his girlfriend's apartment. What Miyuki had said was true; Reno had been seeing Iris for weeks. It had started in good fun, but was evolving into something much more meaningful.

Reno sighed and called Cam. About 7 or 8 rings later, Cam picked up, sounding tired and sleepy, " 'Llo?" Reno gently teased, "Hey, kid. Whatcha doing sleeping at 8 o'clock on a Friday?" Cam snorted laughter and greeted him, "Hi, Reno."

He explained, "Sorry I haven't called. You OK?" Cam sighed and deadpanned, "Reno, I had my baby."

She heard his quick intake of breath, and continued, "I had a baby boy, Reno. I named him Brendan. He's perfect. 10 fingers, 10 toes, two beautiful eyes . . ." Reno made a choked sound, not trusting himself to speak just yet. A second later, he found his voice, "When, Cam?"

She shifted on her bed to look at the baby's cradle next to her, and replied, "Um, three days ago." He muttered an oath, remembering the phone call he'd skipped out on a few days earlier, "Dammit, Cam, all alone?" Cam answered quietly, "I called when I went into labor, didn't catch you. After that, today's the first day I could call again."

Reno chewed on his lower lip, feeling guilty, "I-I'm sorry, Cam, I've been busy this week and-" Cam cut him off, "It's OK, Reno, really. Everything's fine, we're both OK, and we're home again."

Reno drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, dangerously close to calling Iris and calling off their date to rush to Cam's side. Cam seemed to sense his doubt, and went on, "Hon, you can drop by tomorrow. I'm tired and the baby's sleeping. We're no fun right now. Go out and have some fun for me."

Reno swallowed thickly. He still had his doubts, and desperately wanted to see her and the baby, but agreed with her, "Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow. Do you need anything?"

Cam thought for a second, then replied, "Could you bring burgers, Reno? I'm dying for a cheeseburger." Her reply was random enough that Reno burst out laughing, "OK, OK, a huge burger with everything, fries and a milkshake. How does that sound?"

Cam squealed delightedly, "Ooh, Reno! That sounds so good right now!" Reno laughed with her, then sobered up, "But seriously, Cam, I'll be there tomorrow with lunch, I promise." Cam smiled in the darkened room, absolutely happy at the idea of seeing Reno again after so long, "Sounds good, Reno. I'll see you tomorrow then."

They said their goodbyes, and hung up. Reno closed his PHS, and sighed. He wanted so badly to just go to Cam, see her and the baby . . . "but this is no time for me to break pattern . . ." Reno thought, opening his PHS again, this time to call Iris down.

Cam, after having hung up, got up, paced around her room, and sat to watch her newborn sleeping, softly stroking his tiny face and arms with her fingertips.

Reno had his date with Iris, or at least, tried to. He kept drifting off, his mind wandering towards Cam and the baby. Iris always tried to bring him back to focus, humorously at first, then growing irritated with him.

He would always smile quickly and mutter a lame excuse, blaming the week's hectic schedule for his distractedness.

Later that night, he went to bed with her, because it was what was expected of him, and to refuse Iris's bed would be just asking for unnecessary questions. Reno really liked Iris, but for that night, at least, his mind was solely on Cam and Brendan.

Fairly early the following morning, Reno left, apologizing profusely to an annoyed Iris for the lackluster evening and the hurried exit. He went to buy some things for Cam and the baby, as well as to get the much-anticipated burgers. It was a quarter to one when he arrived at Cam's doorstep.

When Cam opened the door, she was faced with a huge bouquet of flowers. "Oh, wow! These are so beautiful, Reno! Here, let me put them in water, come in, come in!" She bustled around the small kitchen, looking for a pitcher to put the flowers in, Reno smiling and looking at his old friend.

She still looked pregnant, her belly slowly regaining its former shape. "She looks so happy . . . she's beautiful . . ." Reno thought as he placed the bags of takeout on the counter. Cam was still crooning about the flowers, as they were very hard to find in the ultra-industrial city. Reno had to pay a small fortune for those flowers, but her smile made it all more than worthwhile.

Cam exclaimed, "Ah-ha!" having finally put the flowers in a water jug. She turned towards Reno, smiling widely, and forgot all her previous disagreements with him as she hugged him tightly around the neck. He snickered and hugged her back tightly, remembering the feel of her body against his, surprised at how much he'd missed her.

She pulled away from him when the hug ended, pulling his hand, "Come on, meet Brendan! He was awake just now." Reno let her pull him to her room, then stood around anxiously as she bent to pick the baby up. She held the infant in her arms, beckoning Reno forward, "Come on, take a look."

Reno did, and drew in a sharp breath. "Wow," he muttered, dazed. The baby was a lighter shade of Cam's dusky skin color. His head had a fine layer of the softest black hair Reno had ever felt, and he just knew he'd never seen a more perfect, more beautiful baby.

Cam smiled at Reno's smashed expression, and said, "Here, sit down and hold him a while." Reno sat down, stammering, "B-but I've never picked up a baby." Cam shushed him, "Just hold his head and back steady, it's easy. See?" Reno took the baby anxiously, relaxing only when the baby seemed comfortable.

The baby made a small sound, and Reno felt himself goofily grinning at the baby. "This is so cool," he muttered, looking up at Cam, who sat on the edge of her bed watching Reno and the baby. After a while, Reno said, "I think he's sleeping."

Cam checked and saw it was true. She took the baby from him and put him in the crib, then had to pull on Reno's hand again, this time away from the baby.

While they ate, they made small talk about everything. Most of their conversation was slightly awkward, as they'd seen little of each other for almost a year. All too soon, Reno got up to leave, and seemed to remember something. "Hey, wait for me for a second, I left something in the car, 'cause I had my hands full with lunch." Reno said, hurrying out her door.

A few minutes later he came back with a big, colorfully wrapped box. He gave it to Cam, warning her, "Don't open it till I'm gone, OK? Wutaians say its bad luck, you know." Cam nodded and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you so much for coming over, Reno."

He smiled and gave a small shrug, " 'S OK, I guess. So I guess I'll call you later this week, is that alright?" Cam put the box down and nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, yeah, please do." Reno turned to leave, then turned back to her and kissed her on the corner of her mouth, hugging her. She gripped him tightly, pressing a small kiss at the crook of his neck. Reno released her, and left, closing the door behind him.

Cam stared at the door for a full minute, willing it to open, to reveal that Reno came back.

He didn't.

Cam sighed wistfully and opened her present. The big box was full of an assortment of baby clothing, as well as a small card, empty except for a tiny message that read "I know what you did, why you did it. It's been killing me these last few months. I'm sorry for everything. Please let me be there."

She was deeply moved, tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she thought, "He knows, he knows Brendan is his, that I did what I had to . . ."

Cam got herself under control, sniffling even as she grinned at the card. She began sorting the baby clothing he'd given her. Several articles of clothing were far too big for Brendan at the moment. She laughed through her nose, muttering, "Reno, you ass, these are way too big for Bren right now."

* * *

"_I just can't work with her anymore, Tseng. I'm sorry."_

"_Tseng, the woman is crazy. I don't know how to put up with her anymore."_

"She's great at her job, Tseng, but on a personal note . . ." Tseng looked at the young Turk before him and drew a deep, cleansing breath, thinking, "Yet another Turk who won't work with Miyuki . . . Veld is gonna love this . . ."

The Turk seemed anxious, but relaxed when Tseng reassured him, "Relax, Roarke. Everything will be fine. I know she's very tough to work with. I'll tell Veld. You on the other hand, are supposed to go to Junon today with Scarlet and another Turk, right?"

Roarke nodded, and Tseng opened a logbook, to see who else was available. Once the problem was taken care of, Tseng called Miyuki to his office. Judging from her morose tone in answering him, he knew she knew why she was being summoned.

"Hello, Miyuki," he greeted her seriously, and heard her mutter, "Good morning, _sempai_." Tseng was silent for several seconds, watching Miyuki's calm façade crumble. "Aw, what did the pansy say, that I'm a crazy, bi-polar bitch?" she asked, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Tseng shook his head, still looking fixedly at her, "No, he actually said you did your job great-" She interrupted, looking smug, "Fucking _fantastic_'s more like it." Tseng continued in a slightly louder tone of voice, "-but on a personal level, you just can't seem to be reasoned with." Miyuki shrugged, "Ah, he's just pissed 'cause his plan was stupid and I went along with the plan I proposed."

"Everything has to be done your way, or you leave the Turk without backup."

Tseng's accusation hung there in the air between them. Miyuki stood up agitatedly, "Tseng, I-" Tseng cut her off. He was angry with her; this was nothing new. She was stubborn and hardheaded, and needed to learn someway or the other that the Turks were a team.

"Miyuki, this is a team effort. You _have_ to learn to work with people. It doesn't matter that you're the best infiltration officer we have, the best sniper we know, if you can't take orders and work as a team."

Miyuki gave him a wide grin, "The best spy _and_ sniper? Gee, thanks!" Tseng glared at her, and Miyuki gave him a pained look, "But the partners you give me suck. And you don't ever have a partner."

The Turk leader gave a minute, elegant shrug, "That's because, after many years of hard work, I made Field Leader. But I did my fair share of team work before this. Either way, it isn't me we're talking about."

"No, it's always me, isn't it?" she huffed, flopping down gracefully into the chair in front of Tseng's desk. Tseng looked at her coldly, "It seems that way." She narrowed her elegant, slanted eyes at him, and Tseng glared back. "There has to be someone you'll be able to work with."

He rifled through some papers in front of him, and pulled out a file, "How about Rude? He had no complaints about you, or you about him." "_Only 'cause he's a gentleman and I'm kinda afraid of him and his big-ass self,_" Miyuki thought, and told Tseng, "It was OK, I guess, but he's too damn quiet."

Tseng pulled out another file, "How about Reno?" Miyuki blanched, "Good God, _sempai_, the man's a chatterbox!" Tseng countered, "He had nothing but good things to say after working with you last time."

Miyuki seemed thoughtful for a second, "Really? What did he say?" Tseng smiled a bit, "That you were, and I'll quote this directly from his report, 'a crazy kickass bitch, and I'll endure her poisonous self if it'll get me another glorious, drunken bar fight like the one we were in down in Gongaga.'"

Miyuki laughed in spite of herself, "He said that? Well, I guess I can give the freak another chance." Tseng nodded calmly, "Consider it done. Also, you'll have a new roommate, for the next couple of weeks. His room's getting the insulation fixed and yours is the only double room left with a vacancy."

Miyuki groaned, "So much for privacy. Is that all then, Tseng?" The Wutaian leader nodded, and Miyuki left. Tseng waited a few seconds, then grinned and let out a deep breath, leaning back in his chair, stretching out his arms above his head, generally looking like a sleek, relaxed cat.

Miyuki had actually agreed to be partnered with Reno. Ever since joining the Turks, nearly a year before Reno, Miyuki had always been a problematic Turk. Tseng was still smiling when his PHS rang.

"This is Tseng," he spoke, then his smile widened, "Yes, Reno, I called your new roommate, she knows you'll be over soon." He hung up and steepled his fingers. Oh, it really was enticing, to have this kind of power behind the scenes.

Reno walked down the long corridor to what would be his temporary residence. Like all other ShinRa employees, Reno had his own apartment in a ShinRa owned building. And, like most Turks, had grown depressed in his lonely, mostly empty but spacious apartment, and instead sought out a room at the ShinRa Living Quarters.

The ShinRa Living Quarters was basically 2 complete floors of apartments. Single or double, these rooms were available to ShinRa employees who had important security/intelligence jobs, mostly Turks and SOLDIERs.

Reno balanced an enormous box of his belonging's, calling out, "Big friggin' box coming through! I'll crush you to jelly if I don't know you're there!" Finally, he reached the correct door, and because his hands were full, began to kick it, yelling, "Hey, open up! Gotta set this down!"

From behind him, Reno heard a woman's voice angrily demanding, "Reno, what the fuck are you doing kicking my door?" Reno was startled and tried to turn around quickly. He ended up slamming the box against the wall, and by proxy, into his chest.

Reno swore and instead swiveled his head to look at Miyuki, who glowered behind him, the room's keycard in her hand. Reno stared at the keycard. Miyuki stared at the box. Both Turks groaned, "Aw, HELL NO!!"

Reno had said it with a grin on his face, while Miyuki had said it with feeling. Reno liked Miyuki, and while Miyuki claimed he angered her, she had to admit Reno was a likeable guy.

After a few second's stunned silence, Reno smirked, "So, um, _roomie_, could you get the door?" Miyuki snarled, "It's one thing to be partnered with you for now, but having you in my face all day is gonna be too much."

Reno followed her into the room, ignoring her hostile grumbling, commenting "We're partnered? How come?" Miyuki closed the door and flopped down onto her bed, curling onto her side and looking at Reno through dark, dark eyes, "Ah, yeah, Roarke ended up bitching to Tseng, and once again, I'm out of a partner, and this time you're it."

The redhead gasped as he set his box down, teasing, "You, out of a partner? But you're such a sweetie!" He knew she was a tough nut, and also knew Roarke was above petty criticism. "She's just ticked she's out of partners." Reno thought.

Miyuki narrowed her eyes at Reno, then gestured at the apartment they were in, "Whatever. Look, don't touch my stuff, keep your stuff on your side of the room and don't hog the bathroom. Oh, and try to be somewhere else after 10 tonight."

Reno arched an eyebrow at her bossiness. "Yeah, like I wanna wear your undies or something," he said, remembering how once he'd switched underwear with Cam, "besides, what's going on at 10, some booty call or something?"

Miyuki smirked, "Wouldn't you like to know?" Reno shrugged, "Ah, 's OK. I was gonna go down with Rude to the 53rd floor's bar, then get to bed, 'cause I gotta set out to Gongaga tomorrow- hey, _we_ gotta set out to Gongaga tomorrow! So, no booty call for you. Let's go get drunk instead."

Miyuki scowled at him, annoyed over losing her "booty call". She also remembered their mission, and that, no sooner would she get back from Gongaga, she'd have to set out again to Icicle Village with Rufus. She could look forward to a solid week's worth of traveling.

She sniffed, "No way." Reno seemed puzzled, "Why not?" Miyuki slipped off her jacket and shoes, " 'Cause you talk too much."

Reno gave an exaggerated mock-gasp, then retorted, "And you smoke too much!" Miyuki's mouth hung open as she thought, "How _dare_ he!?", and she tossed back, "And you drink like a fucking fish!" Reno yelled back, "And you cuss like a sailor!"

They stared each other down for several seconds, and Reno burst into laughter when Miyuki flipped him off. He saw her trying not to laugh out loud.

"So, Yuki-chan, wanna go out for drinkies with me and Rude tonight?" Miyuki scoffed, "You're unbelievable!" Then, after a few seconds' pause, "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

A/N: Hopefully I made some of you happy with this WAFFy chapter.

Reno, typical guy that he is, bought cute clothes instead of practical stuff like diapers. True, true . . . I've seen it happen. Either way, the kids are happy with each other again, and through unspoken agreement, the baby's father will remain anonymous.

Finally, I named the baby Brendan because, in Celtic culture, Brendan is the patron saint of navigation, and as we'll see later on, that's exactly what this baby will do to Reno and Cam: shape their lives and give them direction.

Also, yeah, Reno's verbal sparring with Miyuki could be considered at best, unprofessional and at worse, seen as sexual harassment, but they're good buddies.

As for their latter banter there at the end, Miyuki's much older than Reno, I'm writing her to be 23, while at the moment Reno's 18/19. She's very much set in her ways, but along comes Reno trying to get her to do stuff she wouldn't do otherwise.

One of the things I tried to do is have Miyuki act towards Reno as Reno himself will later act towards Elena, even if he's not aware of it while he's doing it. Hope you like it!


	17. Breakups and Get Togethers

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

Tiny A/N: I know I've been neglecting the other Turks, and Miyuki, but I really want to get this last bit. For the next chapter, I promise I'll get the other guys in there. Also, I'm truly sorry I've taken so long. I just started the new semester at college, my last semester, actually, and it's just been a very hectic first week.

* * *

Over the course of the following months, Reno and Cam learned several important lessons. Cam had understood just how selfish she'd been before having Brendan. She had thought having a baby would be easy, a fantasy in which the baby's behavior was easy to predict and control. 

Only three days later, she knew Brendan was no toy, and things would be much harder than she'd anticipated.

Still, she was undaunted, because rather than being afraid, of trying to call her mother for help, Cam discovered a wealth of power within herself, and she was determined to do right for herself and for Brendan.

She loved the baby more than her own life, and had managed to come to terms with the fact that apparently, she'd never have a normal family life with Reno.

Reno, meanwhile, had also learned a lesson in personal matters of the heart. He found himself growing deeper in love with Iris, though his love was tainted by his own insecurities. He thought he wasn't good enough for her, who'd come from a famously wealthy family in Junon.

What was actually worse, Reno felt he saw some quiet agreement to his thoughts of inadequacy in her cool gaze.

He was also felt torn between Camryn and Iris. The two women were as different as night from day. Iris was fair and willowy where Cam was dark and voluptuous, and yet both held his heart within their grasp, even if he himself only saw Iris as the sole keeper of his love. He knew also of his responsibility towards Cam and Brendan, and fully intended to be a constant presence in their lives, if only from the sidelines.

Each was consumed in their everyday. Cam struggled to make ends meet and to be as good a mother as she could be to this tiny son she'd brought into the world. Reno worked hard to be good at his job, and to make himself into what he thought Iris wanted him to be.

By the end of Brendan's first month, Cam had decided the crib was essentially useless at night, choosing instead to take the baby to bed with her. She had regained her former shape fairly quickly, and had managed to begin dancing at the Honey Bee. This was a higher paying job than her previous stints as waitress and make-up artist.

Brendan preferred to simply feed and look at her, and she had no problem with that, finding it immensely pleasurable to look back at the baby's face while she fed him. She often talked to him non-stop, telling him about her day.

Reno, as always, sent his money, and called at least once a week. He came by once, and seemed flabbergasted at just how big the baby had gotten. He'd also seemed a bit distant with Cam, and Cam had surmised he was seeing someone else.

This hurt more than she thought it would. She bought a speakerphone, so that Brendan could hear Reno's voice when he called. Cam congratulated him on his eighteenth birthday.

When Brendan was two months old, he smiled at Cam for the first time. Cam had goggled at the baby's toothless smile, then responded with her own, cooing happily at her son. He tracked her as she moved around him, either in their room in the apartment, or the small dressing room at the Honey Bee. Cam didn't want to be separated from her newly born son, and instead took him with her to work, leaving him with a few of the girls who were also mothers while she worked.

The Turks who worked closely with Reno hooted and teased when he got random phone calls from Iris throughout the day. They joked around, asking for invitations to their wedding. Reno waved their taunts away, thinking it wasn't all pleasantries. He saw how she disdained people from the slums, how she pretended the slums below the Plate didn't exist.

Brendan discovered what his arms were for when he was three months old. He waved them about, cooing cheerfully. He also responded to Reno's voice when he called, sensing how excited Cam was when it happened. Reno had laughed wistfully when he heard the baby's joyful squeals over the phone, but hadn't been to see them.

He'd been distracted at work. A big terrorist cell was forming, and while their anti-ShinRa agenda was nothing new, they pursued it with such zeal that Tseng was taking them seriously.

A month later, Cam had begun seeing a man. In many ways, she mirrored what Reno had done. Vaughn was very different from Reno. He was much older and more experienced than Reno. He didn't mind she had a baby if she didn't mind the fact that he was married. His marriage was one of convenience, not of love, and he often sought out other women's company.

Still, he very much liked Cam, and was happy with the fact that she didn't take him to her apartment at all, rather meeting him after work at the Inn itself. Although she never once asked or even hinted at any economic contribution, Vaughn nonetheless gave her gifts. He came around to see her every once in a while, when business took him to Midgar. Cam was OK with that arrangement, since she didn't feel any real connection to Vaughn other than the occasional lover for the night.

Reno hadn't called that month, again reverting to simply sending short letters with his money. He sent her best wishes on her eighteenth birthday. If he'd been to see her and Brendan that month, he would have been shocked to see that Brendan had blue-green eyes, exactly like his.

So did several more months pass, until Brendan was ten months old. Cam continued working hard at the Inn. She'd done some spying of her own, and had seen Reno's new lover. She'd become slightly despondent and depressed, seeing how Reno had chosen someone who seemed to be a total opposite of herself.

She was welcome to Vaughn's bed whenever he visited Midgar, and this provided her with an opportunity to socialize, and to feel like the woman she'd been.

She was also continually surprised at the things Brendan could do as he grew. He babbled, waved hello or goodbye at her, sat up by himself, played peek-a-boo with her and imitated the faces she made at him when she talked and fed him.

Reno, meanwhile, wasn't having such a good time. Contrary to their efforts, the terrorist groups had continued to strengthen. Also, Reno was growing increasingly worried about his relationship with Iris.

He remembered how she'd objected and grumbled over his pardon, how she mocked his slum accent. It was one of the things that had made him pursue their affair so arduously at first.

It had given him a perverse thrill to know he was fucking the crown jewel of the richest family in Junon.

Still, they ended up falling in love with each other. The one serious flaw, the thing that could tear them apart was her attitude towards the slums and the people hailing from them. While she acted differently with Reno because of her love for him, he couldn't ignore how her lip curled in distaste whenever a slum-dweller approached her.

He once heard her say that all access connecting the Plates to the slums should be closed off. Reno had been appalled, but out of love for her, he'd only argued that if that had been the case, he wouldn't be with her at all. She'd patted his cheek fondly, "Oh, you would've found a way out of that sty, sweetheart, you're smarter than them."

_"Maybe I'm her social awareness pet project, like a 'Save-a-Slumrat' kind of thing,"_ Reno would think later on, a hot flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck and face. He was aware of how he still spoke with gestures and slang not usually seen in people up on the Plate.

Reno was proud of who he was, and what he'd accomplished in his short life. He'd been born the son of an abusive gambler and a drug-addict, and through his intelligence and hard work, he'd become an important part of a team of elite professionals.

Iris kept trying to 'improve' Reno, buying him clothes and taking him to cultured places. Frankly, Reno hated the uncomfortable, pretentious clothing (and people), and much preferred watching a chocobo race while eating onion rings and drinking beer in his favorite bar, wearing jeans and sneakers.

Even after they'd been together for nearly a year, after 'I love you's had been exchanged and genuinely felt, after having soft pillow talk about moving in, and ideas about marriage had begun to appear, she still hadn't asked Reno home to meet her parents.

She said it was because neither of them could coincide with a week out of work to go to Junon. Reno saw how she averted her eyes when she said this, and knew the bitter truth: she was actually embarrassed to take him to her parents, to present him as the person she loved.

He felt something akin to horror as he recognized her discomfort, and his bruised dignity wouldn't allow for any further slighting. He insisted on meting her parents, and she kept refusing.

Finally, Reno had asked for a weekend off, to have a serious moment with Iris, a moment that would either break their relationship beyond repair, or make it stronger than ever.

It had gone disastrously. After making each other angry with their accusations, Reno had demanded Iris be truthful, and admit she didn't think him civilized enough for her family, for herself.

She'd broken down crying, admitting she'd begun seeing Reno out of a misplaced sense of adventure, but as she'd grown to love him, she felt she had to make certain changes in him.

"Why? Why did you have to change me?" he asked, angrily pacing her pristine, tastefully decorated, upper-scale Sector 1 apartment. She didn't answer, only lowered her head and sniffled. "Tell me why, Iris!" he persisted, "Is it the way I speak, the way I act? Tell me, are you embarrassed of me?"

She looked at him then, conflicting emotions warring in her light blue eyes as she pled "Don't, don't do this, Reno. I love you." Reno's face worked as he recognized her internal debate, "I love you too, Iris, but if you love me, love all of me. I can't, I won't be anything else." He spoke sadly, knowing unconsciously this was a battle he had little chance of winning.

Iris shook her head, "N-no, sweetheart, you can be better than this, you can-" Reno cut her off, "No, Iris. I won't change. I won't be ashamed of who I am. I can't pretend to be something I'm not. I'm proud of who I am, where I came from-"

It was Iris's turn to interrupt, frowning, "Oh, but Reno, you can't be proud of _that_! The slums, being a gang member, you can't be proud of any of that!" Reno narrowed his eyes and recoiled from her touch when she reached for his hand, "And why can't I, Iris? It's my story. I took all the shit I was given, and turned it around, and look where I am now. Everything I have, I've worked hard for."

She stepped away from him, looking down at her feet. Reno drew a long, shaky breath and sadly murmured, "I'm never gonna be good enough for you, am I?"

Iris sniffled and looked at him through tear-filled eyes, "I love you, Reno, I really do, but I . . . I can't do this anymore . . ." That was all Reno needed to hear, and he felt his heart twist, wrench, break in his chest as he nodded, "OK. Alright then. Good bye." He turned around and left, and not once did Iris ask him to stay, to come back.

* * *

Cam had been by herself with Brendan during the previous weeks. Vaughn had been called away on business that would have him traveling the world for several months, though he still sent her small gifts through the mail. Reno hadn't called in two months, but Cam had taken to answering his letters with her own. 

She was actually having a fairly comfortable, if overworked and hectic, life. She was working two small, part-time jobs besides her main job as a dancer at the Honey Bee, and made enough money that she could pay her next-door neighbor's 15 year old daughter for watching Brendan. Another man had expressed a desire to know her better, reacting favorably to her having a small child. He'd asked her out, and she'd said yes.

On the night of Reno's breakup with Iris, Cam had gotten the night off, and had chosen to stay in playing with her son. When he seemed sleepy, she bathed him and dressed him in his baby pajamas, talking to him and getting small replies from him, consisting of short words he knew, even if they were almost always incorrect for their 'conversation'.

She sat to feed him in her dark room, rocking and humming gently while Brendan suckled at her breast. Cam knew she had to wean him soon, but for the life of her, she didn't really want to stop.

She felt his small hand reaching for a lock of her hair. It was his usual feeding-time ritual, Brendan spinning a lock of her hair around his fingers. Eventually, Cam felt his small body relax, his sucking slowing considerably.

Cam yawned herself, and placed Brendan in his crib. She had only just finished covering him against the below-Plate chill when her doorbell rang. She hurried to her door and looked through the peephole, only to see Reno looking miserable.

Cam opened the door quickly, her initial pleasure in seeing him displaced by concern over his distraught appearance. " Reno, Reno, honey, come in, here, sit down," she instructed, gently pulling him to a counter stool, then returning to close and lock the door.

Reno looked very sad and slightly drunk as he sat on the stool, and Cam asked, "Baby, what's wrong? Your hands are cold, let me just . . ."

She chafed his cold hands between her own. Whether it was her compassionate, heartfelt tone, his own aching heart and bruised dignity, or the many drinks he'd had, it all came together as he bowed his head, saying in a choked voice, "It's all over, Cammy. I tried to make it work, I thought she was the one for me, but I wasn't good enough, I couldn't stop being a slumrat."

Cam shushed him, "Don't say that, Reno. You know you're much better than that. You know you're a good person." He still wouldn't look at her face, afraid to let her see his self-embarrassment, and shook his head, "Not good enough."

Cam wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Reno crushed his face to her chest, holding her tightly to himself about her waist. She let him squeeze her, petting his hair and stroking his back, letting him cry out his hurt.

He did so briefly but intensely, then straightened up after a few minutes, eyes red. Cam wiped his face, smiling at him gently, "Better?" He let out a quiet laugh, admitting, "Yeah." He let her go and looked at her. She did the same, and tutted at him good-naturedly, "I can tell you're all boozed up. Let me fix you something to eat."

She heated him a can of soup, all she could find at this late hour that required no cooking.

While Reno ate, Cam talked to him about her jobs, thinking, "I'm probably boring him half to death, but as long as he isn't thinking about what's-her-face . . ."

Cam felt intense dislike for her, the woman who'd broken the heartbreaker's heart. "Not just any heartbreaker," she mused, washing Reno's empty bowl when he was done, "but _my_ heartbreaker."

When she was putting things away, Reno asked after Brendan, and seemed amused and surprised at just how many things he could do in the months he hadn't seen him. After a while, Reno got up and shifted his feet aimlessly, not daring to ask what he wanted to.

Cam tried to make eye contact with him, thinking she knew what he wanted. She was right, as Reno glanced quickly at her, and then looked away, snickering a bit. He looked and sounded older than when she saw him last, and thought, "Hell, we're _both_ older."

She dramatically put the back of her hand to her forehead and, in a sarcastic tone, asked, "Oh, Reno! What_ever_ shall I do without you? Please, stay with me tonight!" Reno burst out laughing, and sheepishly asked, "Can I?"

Cam nodded, "Of course, dumbass. Here, let's get you cleaned up and settled in." A short while later, Cam herded Reno into her room, and they lay on their sides, facing each other. Cam saw a sad look settle on his face, and she put one of her hands on his cheek, thumb stroking one of his tattoos, "Hey, you OK?"

He gave her a fleeting smile, "Yeah. Yeah, it's just, you know, I saw this coming. I didn't want to, but I did." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, whispering, "You'll be OK, you'll see. You're a tough old bastard."

Reno took her wrist and pressed a kiss to her palm, whispering, "Thanks, you know . . . for everything . . ." Cam kissed him tenderly on the lips, murmuring, "It's OK, hon, don't mention it."

Sometime during the night, they turned to one another, Reno needing genuine affection, and Cam giving it freely. At first they were awkward with one another, having grown accustomed to other people, other lovers.

Soon, however, they found their old rhythm, the familiar way they did things with each other, and with nobody else.

They made love slowly, quietly, each one drawing soft sighs and gasps from the other, and in the darkness of the night, and in the tenderness of what they did, all was forgiven between them.

The following morning, Reno woke up before Cam did. He looked at his friend as she slept on her stomach, snoring lightly, her leg a warm line against his. Reno sighed softly. He didn't know how he felt.

He was obviously very sad about losing Iris, but he was determined to stand up for himself, to not change who he was on account of someone else's perceptions. Oddly enough, however, his most conflicting thoughts weren't about Iris, but about Camryn.

He was full of gratitude towards her, but at the same time felt she'd taken advantage of him, gone over the line in some strange, unknown aspect. He scratched his head angrily, "What, after I barge in here half-drunk 'cause I got dumped by another woman? Shit, I got what I deserved."

Reno looked again at his sleeping friend, her slightly parted lips, her curves and her blue-black hair, and thought, "Besides, it's not as if I put up much of a fight." He reached out with his hand and touched her hair, the texture of which he realized with a pang he'd missed sorely that last year.

He knew she was a reflection of the environment they were reared in, as much as he was himself. Reno knew violence, and Cam knew sex. He pulled up the blanket to cover her against the chill, and felt the disquieting feel of someone watching him.

Reno tensed up and looked in the direction of the person watching him. He looked into his own eyes, and his first wild thought was that Cam had misplaced a mirror, putting it in the baby's crib.

It was Brendan watching Reno. The toddler had woken up, and was staring at Reno through eyes so remarkably similar to his in shape and color that any doubt remaining in Reno's heart vanished without a trace.

Reno got up and hurriedly pulled on his boxers, and walked to the crib, bending over to look more closely at Brendan. The baby gurgled quizzically at Reno's close inspection, and Reno realized he was grinning at the toddler.

He reached down a hand to touch the baby's smooth cheek, and was rewarded as Brendan grabbed his hand. "Hey there, little guy, whatcha up to?" Reno asked Brendan, and Brendan replied with soft babbling.

Reno felt slightly guilty over having slept with Cam in the same room. He muttered a quick apology to the baby, again deeply amazed by the many similarities he kept finding between this young child and himself.

After a few minutes, the baby seemed perfectly happy where he was, and not knowing much about child-rearing, Reno left Brendan alone and tried to get the coffeemaker going. He smiled softly to himself, realizing he'd just really met his son, who he'd neglected to reach out to during the past year and a half, since Cam had been pregnant.

Cam woke up shortly after Reno left the room. She yawned and stretched, reveling in the feel of the familiar aches Reno always gave her. She got up and dressed in the same pajamas she'd had the previous night, and greeted her son.

Brendan smiled at her and Cam checked his diaper. All was well, and the baby really did seem content to just stay where he was. Cam went to find Reno, walking quietly to her small kitchen, where she heard Reno moving around.

He had his back to her. Cam took the opportunity to study him, now that the lights were on and everything seemed to be alright. He'd changed drastically in the year and a half they'd been apart. He seemed colder, more detached. Cam regretted this, as one of the things she liked most about Reno was his mercurial attitude, his shifting moods.

Physically . . . well, Mako and Turk training had done him a world of good. Before, when they'd lived in the slums, Reno had been skinny, slouching, lacking any real muscle. Now, Cam was pleased to see he had nicely defined arms, legs and chest.

His long torso was studded with the most delicious-looking set of abs she'd ever seen.

He still slouched as a force of habit, and since he had an elongated torso, he had to buy clothes slightly bigger than he needed them, so he still looked skinny when clothed. Where he'd been clumsy before, he was lithe and graceful now, as he moved around the small kitchen.

As the coffeemaker began to percolate, he muttered triumphantly "Gotcha now, ya bastard!" Again, he felt someone watching him, and he startled away as he felt the unknown person behind him move closer.

He turned around quickly and saw it was Cam, looking startled herself. "Jeez, sorry," she muttered, and Reno shook his head, "Nah, it's just this job, makes me paranoid." Cam frowned for a moment, then gestured toward the counter, "Sit down, I'll fix you some breakfast."

Reno sat and watched her as she moved confidently around the small cooking area. If he'd changed in the time they'd been apart, so had she.

Gone was the remaining baby fat that rounded her face and limbs, leaving her with nicely shaped arms and legs, as well as a more sculpted face. Reno was deeply impressed by how exotic her features looked, now that her cheekbones were so defined.

Motherhood had manifested itself on her physique, as Reno noted how her hips were wider now, her breasts larger. Her hair was so much longer now than Reno had ever seen it, and Reno stared at it, hypnotized by the gleaming, blue-black waves.

She felt him staring and turned around, smiling, "What?" He smiled back and shook his head, "Nothing. You're really good at this now." He waved a hand casually, meaning she did well in the kitchen now. He remembered how she'd complained over cooking, claiming she wasn't any good at it. Cam laughed and shrugged, "Ah, I try."

She swung back around to stir the oatmeal she was preparing. Reno was again ensnared looking at her hair, and commented, "Wow, how long has it been since you had hair like that?" Cam laughed, her back still to him, "Oh, I don't think I've ever had it this long."

Cam turned around and began setting out bowls. She laughed, "Honey, you're still staring." Reno let out a soft laugh, "Sorry. It's just . . . You look really good, Cam. I missed seeing you like this." Cam smiled back sadly, "I missed you too, Reno. Even when you called, you seemed far-off."

Reno winced quietly and began, "I'm sor-" Cam interrupted him, "Don't be, Reno. You've done an awful lot of apologizing for something I was responsible for. If anything, I have to apologize to you, for all the mistakes and misunderstandings." He looked at her silently, the expression in his eyes unreadable.

Cam turned the stove off and finished, "Either way, I should thank you. I've learned a lot about myself this last year. I know myself so much better now. I've realized that I can be strong, if I set my mind to it."

Reno smiled at her, "You've always been strong, Cam, you just never seemed to know it." She saluted him with her spoon, "Ain't it the truth. Now, let's eat!"

Her admission of her guilt, and her acknowledgement of the reserves of strength he'd known she had surprised him. In all her life, Cam always seemed passive, waiting for someone else to take control, to tell her what was right or wrong.

For the past year, however, she'd had no one to rely on but herself, and Reno recognized how much tougher she seemed. The realization of this gave him a pang, as he understood her naiveté dead and gone.

As Cam began to dish out the oatmeal, Brendan began crying. Cam made a small wince and asked, "Reno, honey, could you pop Bren over there in his chair? I'm dishing up here."

Reno snapped out of his reverie and stammered, " Wha-oh, OK." After a few seconds' struggle, he managed to pick up the baby. He knew he held the baby wrong, as Brendan made discomfited sounds and squiggled in his grasp. Reno hurried to the kitchen, pleading, "Cammy, help."

Cam turned around and widened her eyes, "Whoa! Here, let me show you how." She took Brendan away from Reno, propping him up on her hip with such an easy, fluid motion Reno was envious, she made it look so easy.

Cam gave him some simple instructions on how to hold the baby, and handed Brendan back to Reno. This time he did much better. Cam grinned and told the baby, "Bren, this is Reno. Reee-nooo. OK? Give him some love." The baby put his small arms around Reno's neck and snuggled his face into the Turk's neck.

Reno laughed and made a funny face, "Oooh ha ha ha, eew, your kid's drooling on my neck, ha ha ha, this is weird!" Reno continued snickering uncontrollably, and Cam smiled, "It's time for his breakfast. He's just a little vampire baby."

She took the baby away from Reno, who grumbled, "Aw, c'mon, we were having fun." Brendan also seemed miffed; apparently he still had some love left for Reno. Cam nodded, "Yeah, yeah, you boys are pissed now. But breakfast is gonna get cold. Let's eat first, then it's kisses all around. How's that?"

They spent that weekend together, Reno slowly healing from his bad breakup while reconnecting with Cam and Brendan. Once he went back to work, he again distanced himself from them, though not half as bad as he'd done so far.

He called several times a week, and visited nearly every week, not wanting to weaken the already strained relationship he had with Brendan and Cam, but instead to strengthen it. He went down to her apartment with a small cake and a big present for Brendan's first birthday.

Reno let Cam have her personal space, as she told him about the man who'd shown interest in her. Reno had suppressed the grim flare of jealousy, and pretended he was OK with that. Besides, what could he really do? Expect her to simply wait for him?

* * *

A/N: Yay, they really are happy with each other and themselves now! This, I think, will be the path their relationship will take now. They're much more than fuck buddies, even if that's all they show to people who don't know them. Even if they wind up seeing other people, they'll end up with one another. 


	18. Same Old, Same Old

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

Tiny A/N: Some perspectives, to freshen things up. This is supposed to be maybe 2 months after the previous chapter.

* * *

The man didn't try to talk his way out of what was going to happen to him. He knew what that uniform meant: Death come to collect his due. 

Either way, the man didn't see a chance of negotiation in the hard-looking bluish-green eyes, regardless of how youthful the Turk sent to kill him looked.

"This will be over soon," the redhead assured the man, who'd been thinking, "How improbable, a redhead Turk, and so young, I wonder where ShinRa recruits them now, at high school?"

The man had no idea of just how scared he was that there was a Turk in the same room with him until the redhead stepped behind him.

The man fell forward to his knees, trembling, not daring to look behind him. He heard the rustle of cloth, the soft clink of metal against metal, and then he felt unforgiving metal, cold and hard, against the back of his head.

The man had no thoughts now, just a senseless blur, white noise.

Then there was nothing.

Reno watched the man crumple forward, dead before he hit the ground.

Executions like these were something Reno was very good at.

He sighed softly as he took the silencer off his gun and reholstered it, grimacing a bit at its untoward weight. He indefinitely preferred taking care of business with his EMR, but Tseng had asked for a quiet disposal.

Besides, the man he'd been sent after hadn't put up a fight.

"He actually seemed pretty resigned . . ." Reno mused to himself as he exited the man's small house and out into the cold, dark night. He breathed deeply, to cleanse his nose of the stench of spent gunpowder, blood, and singed hair a gunshot execution was usually perfumed with.

His PHS rang and Reno answered, " 'Sup, Tseng?"

Tseng sat at his desk, organizing a stack of papers that represented Reno's orders. "Are you done?" he asked Reno, who replied, "It's rude to answer a question with another question, Tseng."

Tseng narrowed his eyes at the phone and grumbled, "It's Rude I'll send to break your bones if you don't report in."

Reno, who'd almost reached his car, blinked in confusion for a second, then burst out laughing, "O-ho, Tseng! Good one!"

Tseng let out a brief laugh through his nose at the redhead's "Man, you're all smart 'n shit!"

Then Reno sobered up, "Either way, yeah, I'm done. I'm coming back now." Tseng took the sheaf of papers in front of him (a picture of the man Reno had just executed was pasted to the top sheet) and put it into a folder.

"Well done, Reno. I'll see you soon." Tseng acknowledged, and Reno replied, "Sure thing, Tseng." Just as he was going to hang up, Tseng remembered, "Reno! Reno, you owe me papers, don't you?"

Reno cheerily rang off, calling out, "Bye, Tseng! Love you oodles!"

Tseng blinked at his phone's chime, indicating the other party had hung up. "That utter bastard . . ."

Reno closed his PHS and called Cam next, sitting inside the car.

Cam darted around her apartment, putting things into a small overnight bag for herself, and a bigger bag for Brendan. She was going to see someone after work, and it would probably be way too late to pick up Brendan when she got back.

Just as she was done, the phone rang. _"Damn,"_ Cam thought, _"just as I was gonna call the babysitter"_.

Brendan was trying to grab the phone off the end table, chubby hands straining for it. He frowned at Cam when she picked up the phone.

" 'Ello?" she answered, ruffling Brendan's hair. "Hey, Cam" came Reno's reply. "Reno! Hi, honey, how've you been?" Brendan had stepped onto her foot with both of his, and wrapped his arms around her leg.

"Eh, you know. Hanging on. You want the company of a sexy guy this fine evening?" Reno asked, fishing around to check whether she was still seeing that stupid guy she'd mentioned about two months ago.

Cam laughed, walking in a tight circle, giving Brendan a ride of sorts as he was still perched on her foot. "Nah, I got a date. The sexy guy will have to wait."

Reno grumbled, silently seething, "She's still seeing him! Un-fucking-believable!"

Cam asked, "Did you eat? What are you going to do tonight?"

Reno put on a falsely cheery tone in his voice, "I'll take my manly services elsewhere, thank you very much!" He heard Cam laugh, and continued, "Ah, I'll just get to ShinRa Tower, get something to eat. Later, I dunno, hit Rude up for a beer or something."

Cam made an 'aww' sound at him, then, "Poor baby! Here, listen to this!" She gave Brendan the phone handset, urging Brendan to say something.

Reno couldn't hear anything, then suddenly, " 'Eno! "Eno, hi!!" Cam smiled, imagining Reno's reaction to the toddler's voice over the phone. She watched Brendan frown in concentration.

Reno snickered, surprised and glad that Cam had thought to put Brendan on the phone, immensely happy that not only did Brendan know his name and voice, but that the toddler seemed actually joyful to be talking to Reno on the phone.

"Hi, Bren. How've you been, little guy?" Brendan said something incomprehensible, and seemed mighty pleased with himself to have done it.

Reno laughed, agreeing with the boy, "Oh, yeah! You the man, Bren!"

Then Bren shouted, "Bye bye, 'Eno!" Reno replied, "Bye, kid . . .", his voice sounding wistful. He missed seeing Brendan, but Cam was seeing someone else, and he'd been swamped with work lately.

Cam went back on the phone, "So, what do you think of Bren's _mad_ talking skills?"

Reno laughed, "That kid is awesome, Cam. Listen, I gotta go. Take care." Cam sighed through her nose; Reno sounded a bit sad. "You OK, sweetie?" she asked softly. Reno drew a deep breath and replied, "Yeah, I'm fine, just wondering if you'll take me up on my manly services next week."

Cam laughed, "Who knows, right? Anyway, come see us sometime. You know I like having you around."

Reno grumbled, "But you're seeing that jerk. I don't want to have to kick his ass if he asks why I'm there."

Cam arched an eyebrow. Reno had never been jealous of her before.

She replied, "Umm, OK. I'll see what I can do to keep you two guys from ever seeing each other and fighting each other to pieces. Call me tomorrow, yeah?"

Reno smiled in the empty car, "Sure thing, babe. See ya." "Bye, Reno." came the reply.

Reno hung up, and it was a good thing, too, as he was reaching the motor pool in ShinRa Tower, a place where phones like the ones the Turks used went without signal.

He'd lied to Cam. He wasn't going out for drinks. Seeing as to how she'd be accompanied that night, he was just going to finish some paperwork to keep Tseng off his back, and go to bed.

"_You're pouting!"_ a part of him chortled happily, _"Cammy has a man, and it kills you it's not you!"_ Reno scoffed as a second part of him countered the first, **_"Bullshit. She can go fuck half of Midgar if she wants to. I don't care. Heh! As long as she keeps calling, that door is always open."_**

"_Yeah, yeah. Either way, how serious do you think this is?"_ argued that first part of him, to which the second retorted, **_"Not serious at all!"_**

Reno got into the service elevator, pressing for the 57th floor, a floor referred to in the Company as the Turk floor, on account of Veld and Tseng's offices, the Turk lounge room and the smaller Turk workstations.

His internal debate continued unabated, as the first voice snickered, _"Bren's already calling you 'Reno', huh . . . I wonder if Brendan's calling that other guy 'daddy' yet . . ." _Reno frowned, and the second voice screamed, **_"Ooh! You did NOT just say that! Not cool!"_**

Reno got off at his floor, running almost to the Turk lounge. He wanted to see other people, distract himself from the insane debate inside his head.

The lounge was empty except for a female Turk who read a magazine, a piece of apple pie on a small paper dish on her lap.

She smiled at Reno, who gave her a half-hearted smirk. The Turk made a face, "Jeez, Reno, you look kinda unhappy." He narrowed his eyes at her, "Do I?"

The woman gestured at a small table laden with food and drink, explaining, "You should've gotten here earlier! We had a mini office party, 'cause Sephiroth got sent to some sort of far away mission and the SOLDIERs are all weepy that he's gone."

The voices inside Reno's head finally agreed, _"Fuckin'-A!" **"Hell yeah!"**_

Reno gestured toward the big party sandwich on the table, "Sooo, can I eat that?" The Turk nodded, "Sure, take what you want. There's sandwich, fruit punch and apple pie. I like pie . . ."

Now it was Reno who arched a brow, "O . . . K. Creepy." The woman smiled and shook her head as Reno went about making himself a platter. He took two big pieces of sandwich, a slice of pie and two cups of juice, then balanced everything carefully as he headed to his workstation.

He began to eat, and decided the place was too quiet. He turned on a radio to a rock station and, content with the noisy distraction, ate quickly, eager to be done with his work.

* * *

Upstairs, Tseng stood at Rufus ShinRa's apartment door. Few people knew that the ShinRa family actually lived in the Tower. Only the presiding Turk leader knew of these apartments. Tseng knew, because he'd been guarding Rufus ShinRa since he'd been a child. 

Almost as soon as he knocked, the door opened and Rufus invited him in. Tseng did a double take as he noticed Dark Nation's black, furry face peering at him from behind Rufus's legs. The Guard Hound perked up his ears, and Tseng held out a hand for her to sniff. Once satisfied, Dark Nation quickly brushed her tongue over Tseng's knuckles and got out of the way.

"Sir," Tseng spoke in a weary sounding voice, a tone he only used on Rufus because of their familiarity, "You're supposed to run an identity check on visitors." The blonde youth flapped a hand, looking very elegant in the off-hand gesture, "Ah, Tseng, I looked through the door's peephole. Besides, who else could it have been?"

Tseng began, "That's beside the poi-" Rufus went on, interrupting Tseng and going further into his apartment, Tseng following, "And if someone is smart enough to both find out about the apartment, and get a cardkey that'll get them past security to this door, I say I deserve to get killed."

The Turk field leader sighed, "Don't say that, sir." Rufus shrugged and got some ice cream out of the fridge. Tseng noted with amusement that the ice cream was green. Pistachio flavored. Rufus had been addicted to the stuff since he'd been 12.

As Rufus served himself a bowl of ice cream, Tseng asked, "So, why exactly am I here, sir?" Rufus ignored the question, thrusting the carton of ice cream at Tseng, "Do you want some? It's really good."

Tseng shook his head. Rufus put the ice cream away, and took his bowl to the living room, again Tseng following, thinking, _"He's lonely. He's only 17, yet he lives in a huge apartment by himself, and people expect so many things from him."_

The ginger-haired youth turned on the TV to a trivia quiz show, and settled on the creamy-soft leather sofa. He patted the sofa next to him, and Dark Nation approached. The enormous canine laid her good, solid head on Rufus's lap, looking up at him with rapt attention.

Rufus had had that Guard Hound for years, since shortly before Tseng knew him. Dark Nation was old, but still a very formidable foe to anyone who attempted to harm Rufus. A very intelligent and fierce defender, Dark Nation was Rufus's safety blanket, the youth seldom seen without the creature nearby.

Not that Dark Nation would ever let herself be restrained from accompanying Rufus. Everyone knew not to try to separate them, and those that didn't, learned quickly. Only when Rufus took meetings did he insist on the creature being held back, and Dark Nation only let herself be locked in when Rufus 'talked' her into it.

Rufus idly petted Dark Nation around the head and ears, ending up scratching the hound's throat. The creature's tentacle wrapped around Rufus's leg, squeezing gently, and Rufus muttered, "Good girl. You're a good girl."

Dark Nation yawned and curled up to sleep on the floor, laying her great head on Rufus's house slippers. Rufus sighed, "She always does that . . ." Seeing Tseng standing, he grumbled, "Come on, Tseng, you know you can sit down without me asking you to, my God."

Tseng gave the youth a flicker of a smile, thinking, _"A lonely 17 year old kid who likes green ice cream and his pet hound, who asks people over for the supremely geeky reason of watching trivia TV shows . . ."_

Rufus answered Tseng's fleeting smile with one of his own, and Tseng sat down to watch the show. He answered as many questions as he could, giving Rufus a challenge as the youth, grinning, began answering the trivia questions on TV.

The Vice-President of ShinRa Company hated having everything handed to him. He was willing to learn, to work for what he had. This was something Tseng liked and admired in Rufus, and therefore tried to let Rufus develop himself as much as he could.

* * *

Down at the Honeybee Inn, Cam was just finishing her work shift. Jud, the man she was seeing at the moment, was a 24 year old laborer at one of the Mako reactors. He'd come out to her when he saw her dance onstage. 

After some teasing on Cam's part, and some insistence on his, she finally accepted his invitation for a date.

He knew about Brendan, of course, Cam having told him early on that she was a single mother on good terms with the baby's father. Jud had accepted this, but didn't much seem to like the fact that she talked to Reno on the phone so much, and seemed so happy when talking about him.

She never said his name, or the fact that he was a Turk, as always she worked hard to not slip up and place anyone in danger.

Cam cast her eyes out over the crowd of men at the Honeybee, and saw Jud wave at her from the bar. She gave him a saucy wink and went offstage to change into normal clothes and meet Jud.

Before that, however, she called the babysitter to check that everything was fine with Brendan. After being reassured Brendan was sleeping peacefully, Cam headed out to where Jud sat.

"Hi, sweetie, you were great . . ." Jud greeted her, and Cam put her hands on her hips, "What kind of enthusiasm is that?" Jud snickered, "I'm tired, Cam, cut a guy some slack, will ya?"

Cam cooed at him, putting her hands on his shoulders, "Ooh, poor guy, all day working, huh?" He put his hands on her hips and drew her closer, "You know, you can make things better if you wanted to."

Cam feigned innocence, "Oh, really? I just don't know how!" Jud gave her hips a squeeze, a bit harder than was necessary, but he was often clumsy that way. "Cam . . ." he grumbled, "Why do you do that, trying to make me beg?"

Cam had thought him to be joking, mock-complaining, but the serious look in his eyes told her he was being serious. "I-I'm sorry, Jud. I was only playing." He got up and stepped away from her, "Playtime's for kids, Cam. If you're gonna be an adult, then for God's sake, _be_ an adult."

He turned as if to leave, and Cam gave a step forward, "Jud, don't go. I said I was sorry. C'mon, Jud, don't be mad at me. I didn't realize you were so tired. Let's just go, hmm?"

Jud turned back and looked at her. He gave a soft sigh and held out his hand, smiling faintly, "It's OK, Cam. Let's go."

* * *

A couple of hours later, someone turned off the light, and Reno was plunged into darkness. 

"What the crap!" Reno cried out, and quickly the lights turned back on. Tseng appeared in front of Reno, so promptly and silently Reno could have sworn the Wutaian had materialized there.

Reno made a small sound, then narrowed his eyes at Tseng, "What the hell, Tseng! You went all ninja for a moment!"

Tseng ignored him, "How come you're still here, Reno?"

Reno stretched, "Finishing the paperwork I owed you. See?" He gestured towards a messy pile of completed reports, "There is still hope for Reno, praise Bahamut!"

Tseng smiled despite himself, and obsessively reached for the pile of papers and set them to rights. He rifled through them, muttering, "It's really late, Reno. A bit past one o'clock, actually, and I suppose you want a few good hours of sleep before you have to go back on duty at 7 in the morning."

Reno winced, "Oh, crap. There goes my plans for all-night-long debauchery at the Honeybee . . ." He laughed as Tseng snapped his head around to look at him.

The redhead made a grand gesture at the big windows the gave the working Turks a rather nice view of Midgar (or as nice a view as could be had, since the city was a gray heap), loudly proclaiming, "The world is your oyster, Tseng! You have to go out, have fun, and for God's sake, get laid!"

Tseng snickered but quickly regained composure, "My . . . sex-life should be of no concern to you, Reno. Now finish up; the lack of sleep is making you delirious."

Reno tipped Tseng an arrogant little salute, and Tseng left.

A few minutes later, the lights illuminating the Turk workstations went out for good, or at least, for a couple of hours.

Reno stood in front of the door of the small apartment he shared with Miyuki, having decided against going to his own apartment. He seldom went there, anyway.

He told himself he didn't go to his apartment often because he'd rather be close by if needed by Tseng and Veld, but again, the damnable voices in his head argued that he'd rather stay in the smaller room with Miyuki because he got lonely in his apartment. It was too big for just himself, it seemed.

So he only used it when he was actively seeing a girl.

He fumbled around for his cardkey, and once he finally found it, slid it through the locking mechanism and went into the room.

The TV was on, but Miyuki was not there. She came out of the bathroom and was badly startled when she saw Reno.

"Augh!" she cried out, making Reno wince, "Jeez, Yuki, is it that bad to see me?"

She flared at him briefly, "Don't you ever knock!" Reno flared back, "Not if I live here, I don't!"

Miyuki blinked for a second, then shrugged, "OK, I guess. Do I have to put on clothes? You know, 'cause you're a guy and all?"

It was then that Reno noticed she wore only a nightshirt and boy-short panties.

He whistled through his teeth, and muttered, "I'll whup your ass if you do, Ki-bird."

She laughed, "You could try, beanpole." Then, noticing he was staring at her legs like the man that he was, she grumbled, "Stop ogling me, Reno!"

Reno looked at the ceiling, "Ogling has stopped, ogling has stopped. Man, but you've got pretty legs! Personally, I'm more of a butt guy, but those pins you stand on go on forever!"

Miyuki settled herself on the small loveseat, watching her program. She snickered, "It's OK, Reno. I guess it's not fair for me to be like this and yell at you for staring."

Reno peeled off his jacket and took off his shoes, happily proclaiming, "Yes! And now I will eyeball your long legs to my heart's content!"

Miyuki glared at him, "That's not what I said!"

Reno began unbuttoning his shirt, sighing dramatically, "Damn woman doesn't know _what_ she wants . . ." as he trudged towards the bathroom. Then he called out, "Should I shower with the curtain open? Going back to what you said, it isn't fair for me to gaze so longingly at you and not give you some eye-candy as well."

Miyuki hooted with laughter, "Man, Reno, give it up already. I – do – NOT – find – you – sexy – at – all!"

Reno groaned, already half-naked in the bathroom. "How can you be so sure you don't like something when you've never had a taste, Ki-bird?"

Miyuki changed channels, flipping them around to scan for something interesting, and replied, " ' Cause I'm psychic, Reno."

Reno grumbled in a low voice that nonetheless carried out of the bathroom and to her ears, "So far she's been a psychic, lesbian, chocobo-whisperer, kung-fu master from outer space whose superpowers and X-Ray vision we can only hope to have, and whose sheer ferocity threatens to set the very atmosphere on fire . . ."

Miyuki snickered. Those were all excuses she'd used against Reno in the past; he's just recycled them into this mishmash of playful resentment.

He decided to tease some more, sticking his head out the door, "Hey Yuki? Wanna see me streak around the room?"

Miyuki snorted through her nose, "Hell no."

Reno continued, "Miyuki?" She ignored him, a smile playing on her lips.

"Hey, Miyuki? I loooove you! Loooove! I'm talking about pink hearts following me around when I think of you! LOOOOVE!!"

Miyuki burst out laughing, "Reno, just shut the fuck up and get your damn shower already!"

Reno turned on the water, again calling out, "Ah, you miss me already! Not to fear, my everlasting, long-legged acid-pop, for I will soon be with you!"

Miyuki smiled, watching TV, thinking, _"Baka"_

A few minutes later, Reno came out of the bathroom in his usual sleepwear: tatty old sweatpants. He sat next to Miyuki, who muttered, "You smell nice."

Reno stretched his arms over his head, "Yeah, I know all about your fetish for nice-smelling guys, so I bought myself a perfumed soap. Anything for my exotic Wutaian princess!"

Miyuki snickered, and didn't swat him or grumble too loud. She really did have a weakness for nice-smelling men, and she liked Reno, but what she said was true. She just wasn't pulled in to him. He was good-looking enough, but for some reason Miyuki had never thought of having any kind of relationship with him.

He was actually the first man she was good friends with, and Miyuki sighed and leaned her head on Reno's shoulder.

"_Progress!" **"Success!" **_went the voices inside Reno's head. Then both of them joined in tandem, in an unholy chorus, _**"But **do **you** really** want** to** sleep** with** her**?**"**_

He didn't.

True, he would always wonder, and occasionally ogle at her, but the most important thing Cam had ever taught Reno was to look at women as more than mere sex objects.

Cam had been a prostitute, a sex object if there ever was one, but Reno had never seen her like such. She was his friend, just like Miyuki was.

And Miyuki was special to Reno, because she was an underdog like he himself was. He knew that many of the executives had been against Miyuki's having a more privileged position within the Turks, and like him, she hadn't been expected to do well.

Reno also knew her entrance to the Turks was not a smooth one. He'd heard rumors about her induction being more akin to a kidnapping/extortion deal rather than an actual job offer.

She wouldn't talk about it, and Reno didn't prod around, for once leaving well enough alone. He could tell it was still a source of hurt and resentment for her, and one of the main reasons she was so disruptive within the Turks.

The better he knew Miyuki, the more he understood her attitude, acknowledging her disorderly and often antagonistic conduct as one of spite towards the Company she still saw as the oppressor of her native land.

That didn't mean he couldn't tease her.

"Hey Yuki?" he asked, resting his cheek affectionately on the top of her head.

"Hmm?" she replied, thinking whether or not her letting Reno act this touchy-feely with her was good or bad. Like most Wutaians, Tseng himself included, she wasn't much into casual touching, a cultural tic that often made Wutaians seem cold and detached.

"You wanna know something funny?" Reno persisted, yawning widely.

"Yeah?" Miyuki prompted him after deciding it was OK for Reno to be all over her for now. She felt placidly relaxed, not really wanting to swat or cuss at Reno. He really did smell good, and she was actually quite comfortable with the warm redhead leaning against her. Even if he was shirtless.

"I have a Wutai fetish now, because of you." He finished, grinning against her head.

This time she did swat him. And cuss him out. And he just laughed.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys. I decided to use this chapter as one that further explores the characters' psyches, what their motivations are and how the dynamics between them work. I was particularly happy about Reno killing someone and then immediately after, he's cracking jokes over the phone with Tseng. 

And the voices inside Reno's head! Vincent Valentine (God bless his wretched, gloomy heart!) isn't the only one capable of having multiple entities inside his head. Both voices just say what's on Reno's mind, things he may not be aware he's thinking hard about, but really is.

As for Tseng watching kind of a 'Jeopardy' game show with Rufus . . . I have no idea where this came from. It just seemed like something Rufus would enjoy. I mean, the poor guy is always on the public spotlight, people are always following him around. It would be refreshing to just sit down in his jammies with a bowl of ice cream and yell at the stupid contestants on TV while his dog slobbers his comfy slippers. And Tseng knows this, so he joins the VP often. And I wrote Dark Nation following my ancient dog's example. She's 16 years old and nearly toothless, but you should see her just _jump_ people who pretend to hit me! But the Dark Nation I'm writing is much younger, about 8 years old or so.

Cam and Jud . . . I agree with Reno, that he should whup Jud's ass if Jud asks why Cam talks about Reno. Now, that exchange between Jud and Cam there at the end of their segment . . . I'll leave it to your interpretation.

And finally, the dynamics between Reno and Miyuki. I don't think she'll be a love interest for Reno. I think he really does see her as a good friend, much like how she sees him. As for the teasing, like I said before, they like each other, and try to get a rise of each other for no other reason than to pester and annoy, always in good fun.


	19. Beer, Smokes and Confessions

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

Tiny A/N: I didn't get a chance to update this weekend because there was this really fun Pop Culture/ Anime/ Sci-Fi Expo, about three hours from where I live, and I went there with a couple of cousins. It was so much fun! I got this kickass Vampire Hunter D poster, and Pocky . . .

* * *

Miyuki sat back in the bar, for once looking relaxed in the bar's busy environment. Or perhaps she was just tired.

Their mission had been a difficult one, involving stealth and careful precision to obtain the information they needed without eliciting a hostile response from the people there.

Their mission had concerned the Gongaga reactor, and Gongaga Village itself, although a fine purveyor of SOLDIERs, was nonetheless strongly anti-ShinRa. The citizens found the Mako reactor's explosion hard to forget.

It had been some faulty engineering. The executives had wanted to cut costs and had gone against Reeve Tuesti's initial plan, claiming it put the Company under economic stress. What it really meant was that they thought it was too expensive.

They'd gone ahead and cut corners, and that, paired with the average person's ignorance about Lifestream and Mako refinement techniques, had caused the fatal overload that made the reactor explode.

The Turks had been supposed to get into the facility and make a preliminary investigation to gather information that would better tell them what exactly went wrong, so they could build better reactors in the future.

It had been exhausting, tedious work, and in the end, Gongaga had its own vigilante team that had taken it upon themselves to protect the reactor ruins. They'd taken active fire against the Turks, and they'd have to run, as their orders were to leave everything exactly as it had been.

In the end, after much circumventing and sneaking around, they've done their work, and earned a night off. Even if the main village in Gongaga was anti-ShinRa, there were still a few ShinRa friendly spots, and the bar they were currently sitting in was one of them.

Reno watched Miyuki tap her carton of cigarettes while Rude paid for the first round. He brought the drinks to their table just as Miyuki was lighting up. She offered her carton to the men, and after a quick shrug of their shoulders, both men each took one.

After everyone had lit up, they'd done the same thing: they'd leaned back and breathed deeply. Of the three of them, Miyuki was the only active smoker, having smoked since before she'd left Wutai.

Miyuki was a smoker, but not an avid one. She did, though, get irritable if she didn't get a cigarette when she wanted it. The men were both occasional smokers, only taking a smoke when the mood struck them.

Reno took that first swallow of his drink, that swallow that instantly calms down a fatigued mind. Rude seemed to relax with his first sip also, while Miyuki sighed softly after a first, slow drag on her cigarette.

Reno looked at Miyuki as she sat back, relaxed and comfortable and seemingly very elegant in her languid pose. Miyuki was a tall woman, actually only a bare inch shorter than Reno himself. Her long limbs were graceful, and Reno knew for a fact that her long legs were among the best he'd ever seen.

He could tell that, like most tall women, Miyuki had been an awkward teenager, never pleased with her height. But she'd resigned to it years ago, and now used her height to her advantage.

Then Reno realized her nose was a bit crooked, as if it had been broken sometime in her life. Rather than detracting from the delicate beauty of her face, the small bump on the bridge of her nose made her seem all the more graceful by comparison.

Miyuki noticed Reno's gaze, and muttered, "What?" Reno smiled, "Um, don't hit me or anything, but I'd never really noticed your nose. Were you in a fight or a bad fall or something?" Rude set down his drink, watching his two companions.

He did, of course, know what had happened to Miyuki's nose. He's been a Turk when Miyuki had joined them, a beaten Wutaian prisoner of war. Once Tseng got her back to ShinRa Tower, it had been Rude himself who'd administered a high level Cure to her, and had accompanied her to Hojo's laboratory for the necessary tests.

Miyuki looked at Reno, gauging his mood. If he'd seemed too eager to know, too curious, Miyuki wouldn't have told him. But over the months, Reno had become her friend, a partner she'd entrusted her life to as he'd entrusted her with his own.

She answered, "It was a SOLDIER, before I joined the Turks." Reno lifted his eyebrows, "You're kidding, a SOLDIER? How come?"

Miyuki tapped her cigarette on the ashtray and went on, "I was the star sniper for the Wutai guerrilla, Reno. By the time SOLDIER finally caught me, I'd decimated one full unit of Third Class. I'd also taken down several high-ranking military officials and politicians."

Reno whistled between his teeth. He'd never known this, and this new knowledge gave Miyuki yet another facet that was new to him.

Miyuki took a long swallow of her drink, "So, when they caught me, they were none too pleased with me. They tried to torture me. When Tseng got me out of there, they'd already broken my nose and dislocated a couple of my fingers."

Rude looked at her from behind his shades. He was mildly surprised that she talked of her experiences. As long as he'd known her, Miyuki had never truly talked openly about her capture.

Reno, on the other hand, was horrified. "Holy shit, Ki-bird! You were tortured?" Miyuki gave him an odd look. "Why are you so surprised, Reno? It's not as if torture is all that strange to us, you know . . ." she said, exhaling a fragrant cloud of smoke upwards.

Reno waved a hand, "Yeah, but we're usually on the giving end, you know. Not receiving. That's always new."

Miyuki snickered. Rude commented, "You'd never think it would happen to you, but sometimes even Turks find themselves on the wrong side of things." The Wutaian sniper made a small gesture, "Thing is, I wasn't even a Turk then. I was simply Public Enemy #1, and the bounty on my head was huge enough that ShinRa had to send SOLDIER after me."

Reno gave her an admiring look, "Yeah, you really are a kickass shooter. So, a guerrilla, huh?" She nodded, smiling faintly, "With a crooked nose. It's Rude's fault, you know."

Rude gave her an affronted look, "Tseng was the one who'd set your nose after it was broken, and I tried to explain it to you but you didn't understand me. So to save you further pain, I cured it as it was."

Miyuki whined, "But it's all crooked, Rude!" Reno laughed, "Ah, only a little bit, Ki-bird." Then to Rude, "But really, Rude, you should've just grabbed her and yanked that nose straight!"

Rude was still looking at Miyuki, "Maybe I should have . . ." he grumbled. Miyuki smiled at him, "Rude, _kakkoi_!" Both men grinned. _Kakkoi_, in the Wutai dialects, meant something like _'you're so cool'_.

After a few minutes silence, Reno asked, "So, not a word of Midgar Standard when you got here? And either way, if you were a war prisoner, how come you made the Turks? Did they do the same thing they did to me, made an offer?"

Miyuki made an exasperated sound, "What, Reno? You want a freaking interview? Stick around, I might make a documentary."

Reno frowned at her, "No reason to be a bitch, Yuki." She looked at him, mouth slightly open. "You're asking me all these questions about a time I'd rather not remember, and you want me to be all happy?" Miyuki asked, the shrugged, "Fine, here we go then. I was beaten. I was nearly raped. I got a couple of fingers bent backwards ever so slowly till they popped out of their joints."

Reno looked ashen, and Rude's jaw was clenched tightly. Miyuki continued, "Not a word of Midgar in me, like you said. Tseng wasn't supposed to be there, but was the only interpreter they had on short notice. Short notice, because after SOLDIER had their fun with me, I was going to be executed. He made me Veld's offer. Join or die. I asked for some time."

"The next morning I asked for Tseng. The SOLDIER's wouldn't call him, or Veld. The moment they left, I was going to be solely on SOLDIER's custody. They were almost in the airship to return to Midgar when I got desperate."

"I . . ." she laughed low in her throat, "I tried to fight them. I was obviously very outmatched, but I managed to take down two of them, as well as break another's jaw. I also had one held hostage. They finally decided to call Tseng. He talked me out of the stand-off, and got me out of there."

"There. You happy?"

Reno looked at her, shaking his head minutely, "No, Ki-bird. Not at all. I'm sorr-" She stood up abruptly, "Don't! Don't say it, Reno, don't you fucking _dare_ pity me!" He tried, "I wasn't-" Miyuki shook her head, "No. This was a bad idea." She turned and left.

Reno was shocked at this sudden turn of events, as well as her story. He looked at Rude, who dryly commented, "Now you know why she doesn't talk about herself." The redhead looked at Rude, "But why would she think I felt sorry for her?"

Rude sighed, "Thing is, Reno, that Miyuki has never really stopped hating herself for joining the Company." Reno looked puzzled, making Rude clarify, "She lived past her morals, past her sense of what's right and wrong. Choosing to join the very people who've firebombed her country is surely a very poor way of standing for what you believe in."

Reno finished his drink, "But she made the decision, and she's here now. She's been here for years. She should just get used to it. I didn't have it any easier when I joined the Company, you know."

Rude shrugged, signaling for another round, "But Miyuki's different, Reno. You did what you had to survive. She lived with a strict set of moral guidelines, an actual anti-ShinRa agenda. She was actually seen as a bit of a hero back in Wutai. Now she's just something they'd rather destroy and forget about because of her selling out."

Reno sighed through her nose, understanding things a bit better now, "And me being sorry for her was just the cherry on the sundae of her self-hatred, huh?"

Rude nodded, "A fact you were so decidedly oblivious to." He didn't say it unkindly; after all, Reno meant well. He just wasn't always tactful. Reno made a face, "I didn't know it was anywhere near that bad for her, man."

Rude smiled at his young partner. Sometimes it was easy to forget Reno was only nearly 19 years old. Rude himself was 23, and couldn't really remember what it was to be young. Being a Turk took a lot out of a person, but it also put a lot into them.

It made them cynical, hard. They began seeing things differently, learned how to keep things to themselves while trying to learn things from others.

The most successful Turks, like Veld, lived shrouded in an aura of mystery. Nobody really knew where he'd come from (though he'd told Tseng he was originally from Kalm), when he'd joined the Company, what he thought about the people he worked with.

No one could even imagine just how much Veld knew about the Company itself, its executives, its dark secrets.

Rude thought Reno was doing fine. Already a few possible recruits being interviewed that week had expressed curiosity and hushed admiration for the ex-gang member who was proving to be one of the stars within their ranks.

One in particular Reno had caught himself trying to steal a motorbike from the ShinRa motor pool. After a quick and violent scuffle, Reno had learned that the young man had also been a gang leader, not down in the slums but up on the Plate.

Reno had recognized the raw look of wanting to be the best in the young man's eyes, and petitioned for the youth to join the Turks.

The young man now wanted his weapon to be an EMR.

Rude got up and stretched, "Well, I think I'm gonna call it a night. Have to go back to Midgar tomorrow morning. What are you going to do?"

Reno sighed and rubbed his eyes, and Rude was again forcibly reminded of just how young Reno was. "If it weren't for those marks on his face and him being so tall, he'd look about 14, 15 . . ." Rude thought, taking out some money.

Reno got up as well, "I dunno, Rude. I guess I'm gonna crash too. I don't want to get shitfaced by myself, you know. That's no fun. Hey, stop that, I'll pay my share-" Rude shrugged, putting the money for their tab on the tabletop, "Keep your money, Reno. You'll need it to buy Miyuki something pretty."

With that, Rude got up and left. Reno again let out a heavy breath. Then he finished his drink and headed out.

Miyuki, meanwhile, had gone to her tiny room at the town's inn. She'd taken a steaming hot shower and was physically very much at ease in her comfortable sleepwear. Emotionally, she was a wreck.

Having relived her violent induction to ShinRa Company had refreshed several memories she'd rather not revisit, and again she felt the familiar depression, the same questions about herself that had plagued her since that fateful day.

"_What does it matter anymore?"_ she asked herself, pacing around the small room like a caged animal, _"There's nothing left for me in Wutai. No family, no friends, nothing. What I did was unforgivable, they'll never take me back. Not that I want to go back."_

She looked out the window. The lush mountainous vegetation of Gongaga forest appeared black in the moonless night. _"To what? Life as a mercenary? On the run always, 'cause ShinRa will send its SOLDIERs after me again? And they'll kill me this time."_

Miyuki gave a bitter laugh through her nose, _"The fuckers are sadistic enough to send my own Turk unit after me. Wouldn't that be a hoot, Tseng and Rude, and Reno even, why the hell not, all of them chasing me. And they'll find me."_

She realized she was crying, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Miyuki scrubbed her face with a small sound of disgust. She couldn't believe she was still so ambivalent about thing, 3 years after being a Turk.

"_But what else could I have done? Die right then. Just stop existing. Or live, sell out everything I ever believed in. But goddamnit, I wanted to live. I didn't want to die in those barracks, not after being the SOLDIER's plaything, not like that. Is it so much to ask? To want to live . . ." _

She was pacing the room again, feeling stifled. She wanted a cigarette, a hard drink, a fight, a man, anything to get her mind off this dreadful subject, the subject of herself. Sometimes life was good. Other times, she thought too much and couldn't stand it.

"_Oh God, Da Chao, strike me down. I can't live like this . . ."_

Miyuki gasped and went to the door. She had to get out, had to get some air, try to find a distraction, an outlet for the things she felt. She threw open the door and was startled to see Reno standing there.

Reno had left the bar a while earlier, and had wandered into a store. He found a candy he'd often seen Miyuki eating back at the Tower, and had bought it for her. Then he'd intended to go see if she was still awake. He didn't yet know her completely, but knew her enough to think she'd still be awake. Awake and _"jumpy as a fuckin' cat"_ Reno thought.

He was as startled as she was when she opened the door so quickly. He recovered first, and held up the candy, "Look what I found, Ki-bird! A peace offering-" Reno noticed her red eyes, her quivering mouth, her wide eyes, "Miyuki? What is it?"

She gasped and tried to close the door on him. Reno stuck his hand on the door jamb. Miyuki didn't notice and tried to close the door anyway. "Shit!" Reno yelped as the heavy door bounced off the backs of his fingers. Miyuki seemed confused that the door didn't close, and again tried to close it.

Reno stuck his foot in this time, trying to talk to her, "Miyuki, c'mon, let me in, what's wrong?" She shook her head and growled, "Get the fuck outta my door." Reno put a hand against the door and pushed slowly but firmly against it to open it, "Not a chance. What's wrong, Ki-bird?"

She saw it was useless, and she stepped away from the door so quickly Reno nearly fell on his face. "Ah, for fuck's sake, Reno, leave me alone!" she yelled angrily. Reno shook his head, "I'm not going anywhere."

Miyuki turned her back on him. She spoke in a small, choked voice, "Please, Reno, please, just let me be." He closed the door and walked to her side, talking quietly, "I'm so sorry, Ki-bird. I had no idea, I would never want you to feel bad like this-"

She gulped and tried to sound mean, "Fuck off. Leave me alone." Reno knew different, knew she was just hurt and venting. "C'mon, girl, don't say those things to me . . ." he muttered, bumping his hip with hers. He couldn't see her face, her hair fell forward in glossy dark brown curtains.

Again she tried to shake him off, "Go away, Reno. I mean it. I . . . I hate you." She felt him freeze beside her. _"Here you go, Miyuki,"_ she thought bitterly, _"yet another person you've alienated. Why do you do this? You deserve to be lonely . . ."_

"You don't mean that," Reno spoke quietly, "You don't, do you?"

Miyuki sobbed once, trying to hold herself in. She shook her head, "No." Then she began to cry, covering her face with her hands. Reno sighed and put his arms around her. Miyuki slid her own arms around his waist and held on, crying quietly.

Reno remembered how awful he'd felt when he'd begun working in the Company. How inadequate he'd felt. How people had asked about his accent, only to seem offended when he told them. How they commented on his face tattoos, apparently wondering whether he'd turn into a raving maniac soon or not.

How much it had hurt when Iris had rejected him.

How cruel people could be without even knowing, cracking jokes about the underprivileged people down in the slums. Reno recognized that, for everything he'd felt, it had to be worse for Miyuki, given her particular circumstance.

He stroked her back, "Shh, c'mon, Miyuki, where's my crabby, tough old bitch?" She only sobbed. Reno sighed, "You know, Ki-bird, we're kind of alike. You know, when I started working here, people stared at me all the time. It was like they were expecting me to just jump up and bite someone's nose off, or rape someone, or point and grunt for the things I wanted."

Her crying continued unabated. There was a lot of hurt in her posture, in her tone, as she essentially slumped against him.

Reno continued, "There was even this girl, this rich girl from Junon. She was great! She was beautiful, and smart too. She had this really cool apartment, and knew 4 languages and all. We dated for a long time, and . . ."

He frowned. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Miyuki. It was that the only other person who knew about this secret ache of his was Cam. He wished he could see Cam. He missed her. She was still seeing Jud, and Reno didn't feel comfortable visiting her when he knew Jud could call or come by and give Cam trouble.

Miyuki's crying was finally quieting down, and Reno continued, knowing he had to tell someone else about his pain. "We'd begun talking about moving in together, maybe even getting married, you know? But . . . I . . .It seemed like I wasn't good enough. So many months seeing each other, of sleeping together, and she couldn't even admit to me being from the slums. My tattoos were like birthmarks or something. Anything but a Sector 3 gang markings."

Miyuki sniffled, arms still loose around Reno's waist. He adjusted his position, nestling his head more comfortably against hers. "She loved me, I think she really did, but she just couldn't handle me being from below-Plate. It became the whole world to her. She tried to fix me, make me acceptable, so to speak."

He shut his eyes tightly, remembering the bitter disappointment. His arms tightened across Miyuki's slender frame, "I was so stupid. I should have known I was just too . . . I dunno . . . too _myself_ for her. So we left each other. And it hurt so much, Ki-bird. I loved her so much, and in the end she was just like everyone else. I was just a walking stereotype she had to fix."

They were both silent for a long time, arms still around each other, each absorbed in their personal pain. Then Miyuki sniffled, "What a fucking bitch." Reno laughed in a hoarse voice. Miyuki cleared her throat, "You're a great guy, Reno. You really are. You're sweet, and funny, and whenever you don't pester the fuck outta everyone, you make a great overall friend. Any girl would be lucky to have you. You need to forget about that girl."

Reno nodded against her head, "Just like you need to forget about the whole Wutai versus ShinRa thing. You did what you had to stay alive. That's kickass brave, Ki-bird. Politics and ideals be damned. You're alive, and you're an awesome girl."

Miyuki groaned, "Gah, I walked right into that one!" Reno snickered and stepped away from her, adding, "Me 'n Rude, and I'll go out on a limb and say Tseng even, we all love you to pieces. Dark Nation even. She lets you pet her, and lets you take Rufus away from her. Rufus too! He likes you a lot, I think you and Tseng are his favorite Turks."

Miyuki smiled, realizing Reno was right. He was here comforting her, after all. The usually reticent Rude often looked after her when they were on assignment, even if he intimidated her with his large and silent presence. Tseng would often talk to her in Wutaian dialect, making comments and puns that lost all meaning if translated into Midgar Standard dialect.

About Dark Nation and Rufus, Miyuki knew the Guard Hound seemed to approve of her as she did of few Turks. And as for Rufus, Miyuki was well aware of how much he liked her. He really did seem to prefer Tseng or herself, Tseng because he probably was the closest thing Rufus had to a best friend and older brother, and Miyuki because she let him get away with his frequent 'escapes'.

That, and because she was an attractive woman while he himself was a healthy 17 year old male.

She'd seen the furtive glances he'd given her on occasion, how his eyes often lingered either on her hair, her mouth or her legs, and on one memorable occasion, she'd caught him staring at her butt.

Miyuki clearly remembered. She had turned and bent at the waist to quickly retrieve some papers Rufus dropped, and turned around to find him quickly averting his eyes. Miyuki tried not to smile as he took the papers. He flushed a bright red and huffed, _"I wasn't looking . . ." _Miyuki had shrugged, _"I never said you were, sir." _He'd flushed an even deeper red, and gave a short laugh, flicking back his hair with his hand, _"Um, I fell into that one, huh?"_ Miyuki had laughed, _"Yes, sir, you did."_

Miyuki wiped her teary face, "I guess you're right, Reno. But this is something that I just can't seem to let go. I'm getting better, though. Before today, I hadn't even thought about it in ages."

Reno let out a breath, "Well, as long as you're working on it, I guess it's OK. But really, Ki-bird, you're a kickass girl. You're better than this, all this, you know, regret and stuff." Miyuki teased, " . . . regret and stuff . . . Such eloquence! You should be a poet, Reno!"

He narrowed his eyes at her, smiling, "Ah, you see that? See how you treat me? Me! I, who've spent every waking hour dreaming of you!" Miyuki laughed and hugged Reno around the waist again, briefly this time, as someone knocked on the door.

She opened it, and was faced with the large form of Rude, who held up a six-pack of her favorite beer.

Miyuki burst out laughing, deeply touched at Rude and Reno's friendly interactions with her, their sincere care for her well-being. She threw her arms around Rude's neck and gave him a good squeeze while Reno cheered, "Woo!! Turk lovefest!"

* * *

A/N: I decided to dedicate this chapter to Miyuki, mainly because I've written so little of her. I re-read what I've written about her so far, and she seemed a bit underdeveloped, no background, fears, memories, joys, nothing! So, hope you like it! I made it a little angsty, because Miyuki always struck me as a kind of melancholy girl.

Reno covers up his pains and conflicts by acting all smart-ass, and being kind of a slacker/goofball. Miyuki hides her resentment by being a hostile, foul-mouthed pain in the ass. They recognize that in each other now.

For some hints about her thought process, I kind of leaned towards what Zack says in Last Order, how he just wants to be free, to be left alone. If Miyuki only knew how much she thought like a SOLDIER, she would freak out.

As for Rufus checking out her booty . . . come on!! He may be the richest, most powerful guy alive, but he's still a 17 year old male!!

And Rude really does care for his teammates. He cares for Reno in a "I brought him into this, so I got to help him stay alive" kind of way, and he cares for Miyuki in a "Oh my God this girl has all kinds of issues and I wish I could do something about it" kind of way.

The way I see it, Reno's the junior of the Turks just now. Miyuki is actually a bit older than Tseng and Rude, closer to 24 than the guys' recent 23rd birthday. As you can see, she has a whole different set of values and ideas that set her apart, so that nobody really understands her. Tseng tries, but he was raised in Midgar, so he can't relate. Neither can the guys. But they try, and Miyuki is beginning to realize this.

And yes, the young man applying for the Turk job after Reno beat the ever-lasting crap out of him is one of the characters from Before Crisis! We're moving on to that game soon enough!


	20. Of Laughter and Loneliness

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

Tiny A/N:

I'm back! Sorry about the enormous wait. I'll try to make it up to you guys. Read the endnote. Toodles!

And as always, (though very few of you ever do so):

Read and Review!

* * *

A week after their trip to Gongaga, Miyuki had to go pick up Rufus at his apartment in Junon to escort him back to Midgar to check in with his father before going on towards Icicle Village, where Rufus would be representing President ShinRa in an international business summit.

There were several Turks closer to Junon than Miyuki, but Rufus had insisted on either her, Tseng, or Reno. Tseng had been too busy with his work. He and Rude, as senior Turks, were interviewing possible recruits. Reno was picking up the work Rude wasn't able to do while interviewing people.

So, Miyuki it was.

She knocked on the door and stood still, so that the security camera Tseng had Security install on the door could get a good image of her.

Rufus exited the apartment, arguing with someone on his PHS. He seemed agitated, and hissed, "I said, we'll talk later. I have to go." Not waiting for an answer, he closed his PHS.

The Vice-President of ShinRa Company hadn't yet acknowledged Miyuki's presence, something the Turk accepted stoically. No one really seemed to notice Turks. Not unless they wanted something from them.

They liked it that way. It made their jobs easier. The Turks were much more low-key than the other ShinRa elite, the SOLDIERs. Those who made it to First Class achieved a strange kind of fame, born of awe and admiration.

It was true, that to get to SOLDIER, a person had to possess extraordinary strength and durability. But there wasn't a single place in Midgar where Sephiroth could go and not be recognized. People knew him better than the very executives that made the important Company decisions, a fact that amused Sephiroth, annoyed the executives, and the Turks were indifferent to.

Rufus and Miyuki stepped into an elevator, Miyuki using a keycard that ensured that the elevator cab wouldn't stop at any floor she or Rufus didn't specify. Once the floor number was pressed and the keycard inserted, Miyuki stepped behind Rufus.

Rufus took a deep breath and let it out slowly, tilting his head back. It was a very grown up "Lord, give me patience" gesture, coming from such a young man. The light from the beautiful lamp on the elevator's roof made his ginger hair gleam, drawing highlights Miyuki enjoyed looking for since she found out he had them.

She herself had very plain hair.

Or at least, that was her opinion. Other Turks raved about her, that her hair was perfectly straight, that it was very glossy, a lovely color.

Miyuki always shrugged, thinking (and often simply telling everyone) that it was just a thick mop of limp, brown hair.

They rode the elevator in silence, breaking the quiet atmosphere only when Rufus greeted her in a low voice, "Hello, Miyuki." She greeted him back, "Good afternoon, sir." She wished he'd turn around. She enjoyed looking at him.

He was a handsome teenager, and would make an even better-looking man.

Miyuki was particularly fond of the contrast of his dark blue eyes and his dark brown eyelashes. She'd observed a similar contrast in Reno, but it didn't have the same effect as Rufus.

She watched him as an interested bystander might watch a fascinating creature. She knew that, once Rufus was made into the President of ShinRa Company, things would be different. Whether in a good or bad way remained to be seen. He often was at odds with his father, sometimes having a better idea than the older man, other times simply contradicting his father for the fun of it.

The elevator door dinged, and Miyuki stepped in front of Rufus, intending to exit first, a standard safety procedure. She caught a whiff of his cologne as he let out an irritated breath and stepped past her into the lobby.

Miyuki frowned and followed him quickly.

"I'm going out" he said, once they were out in the sidewalk. Miyuki arched an eyebrow, gesturing at the armored yet elegant vehicle waiting for them, quietly stating, "We're aware of that, sir."

He looked at her, annoyed, and scoffed, "Not in that."

With that, he spun on his heel and struck out in the opposite direction, away from the car.

After two seconds of stunned silence, Miyuki gestured to the chauffeur to drive away and darted after Rufus. She went around him and stood in front of him.

"Get out of my way, Miyuki" he grumbled, trying to get past her. She moved as well, not letting him through, "Sir, please, let's just go with the plan for now. Let's get you back to Midgar. Then we'll-"

Rufus stopped trying to get past her, not wanting to draw glances. He crossed his arms over his chest, "Maybe I don't want to go to Midgar. Maybe I'd like to stay here in Junon a while longer."

Miyuki looked at him, "Do you, sir? Want to stay here longer, I mean?"

Rufus gave a small but elegant shrug, "Might as well. Not much for me to do in Icicle Village other than listening to a bunch of old prats, is there?"

Beneath the polished and elegant exterior, Miyuki recognized a tantrum when she saw one. She should know; being the eldest of three kids back in Wutai, Miyuki had dissolved her fair share of squabbles and bickerings. Rufus was just being stubborn.

She shrugged as well, "Very well, I'll just call in with Tseng, let him know you won't be arriving just yet." Rufus let out a breath, not really looking at her, "Ah, don't call anyone. Let them stew for a while."

Miyuki arched an eyebrow and stopped reaching for her PHS. "OK, sir, what are you- Hey!"

He'd once again gone past her and was walking down the sidewalk. And once again, Miyuki barred his way.

He huffed angrily and in a quiet voice, "Miyuki, get out of my way already." She shook her head, "Sir, you're not doing things right. I can't just let you go by yourself like this."

Rufus cocked his head to the side, "Oh? As if you hadn't done this several times before." Miyuki narrowed her eyes at him in a rare show of annoyance with him, "Not if you're angry like you are now, sir."

He challenged her, "So, what? I'm not thinking right, is that it?" Miyuki drew in a deep breath, "No, sir, it's not that, it's just-" He cut her off, "So it's settled then. You'll leave me alone and do whatever it is you guys do in your spare time, and-"

Miyuki was getting pissed at his childish behavior. He seldom acted out like this, but when he did, it was an exercise in civility, as people fought to not offend him. She countered, "Sir, I'm not letting you out of my sight, and that's it."

He became cool towards her so completely Miyuki could almost swear the day had gotten colder. "And if I order you to leave me alone?" he asked in a quiet tone. Miyuki gulped. This would be tricky.

"I mean no offense or disrespect, sir, but . . . I don't take my orders from you."

He gaped at her, but quickly composed himself. "Oh, so you'll listen to Tseng but not me?"

Miyuki was getting a headache. "Sir, all we want is to keep you safe. Please, just let us do our job." He saw she was getting angry, and muttered, "If I tried to run past you, would you shoot me?"

Miyuki laughed through her nose, "A pretty lousy way of keeping you safe, don't you think?" He was about to reply when she added, "Nah, I guess I'd just tackle you to the ground and break your arm."

It was Rufus's turn to laugh, "You'd get killed for that." Miyuki smiled at him, "Just like I'd get killed if something happened to you during my watch. But at least I'll get the satisfaction that I broke your arm for being a brat."

He laughed a bit louder now, a sincere look of humor on his face. "Oh, wow, you'd be satisfied, then?" She nodded, "I'd die with a kickass grin on my face, sir."

Rufus shook his head slowly, murmuring "A brat, she calls me . . . The nerves on you guys . . ." He looked at her, and Miyuki grinned cheekily. Again he laughed. Then he sighed, "Fine. Walk me to the closest bar then, O Noble Security Escort."

* * *

Cam walked in through the backdoor to the Honey Bee Inn. She greeted the girls, put her stuff down. She called the babysitter, just to check up on Brendan. The babysitter assured her that her son was perfectly fine, watching cartoons and zooming around the house.

Cam hung up, smiling to herself at the thought of Bren driving people crazy. Then she sighed, dialing Reno's PHS. She missed him. She missed his laughter, his lame jokes, his red hair. Reno answered on the second ring, " 'Sup?" he asked. Cam smiled; already her heavy mood was lifting. "Not much. You?"

Reno made a small sound between a snicker and a groan, "Argh, Tseng is still having his vengeance on me for being a pain in the ass in Sector 3." Camryn commiserated, "A lot of work?"

Reno grunted agreement, "Yeah, but still, I wouldn't mind cracking a few heads. Thing is, him and Rude are interviewing new recruits, so then I have to pick up on their paperwork. Tseng is some kind of miracle-worker, and usually manages his, but Rude is awful."

He eyed the pile of Rude's paperwork on his desk. Then he saw another Turk heading his way. It was one of the freshly minted Turks. And by freshly minted, he meant that the Turk hadn't been a Turk last week.

He motioned the young man over, muttering, "Hold up a second." The young man watched Reno warily, "What is it?" Reno smirked, "What is it, _sir_. Anyways," he continued with a dignified tone, "part of your new duties include filing paperwork. Lots of it. So," Here Reno separated the most sensitive, classified reports from the rest, then fondly patted the big pile of lesser reports that remained, "Here ya go."

The young Turk grumbled, but took the pile and left, muttering something about setting them on fire. Reno threatened, "Go ahead. I'll knock you out and feed you to Hojo." He grabbed the phone again, triumphantly explaining, "Yeah, did you hear me delegate just now?"

Cam was silent. She'd been thinking to the events preceding this phone call. Jud had dropped by, without Cam having expecting him. He'd had dinner, complaining about how Cam wasn't really a good cook, something he did nearly everyday.

She'd been flustered, in a hurry to get going, as she had to take Brendan to the babysitter's before going to work. She'd made a random comment about Jud getting his dinner elsewhere if he hated her cooking so much.

She never saw it coming.

Reno's voice buzzed in her ear, "You there?" Cam shook herself out of her musings, "Yeah, yeah, I'm here." Reno muttered, "Where are you?" Camryn didn't hear him. She drew a breath to tell him what was going on, then stopped.

She didn't want Reno to find out the truth of what Jud had been doing to her, for months now, with increasing frequency. As bad as Jud was, Cam didn't want Reno mad at him. "_There's no telling what Reno might do; I don't want that in my conscience,_" Cam thought, remembering with a shudder that awful, earlier incident back in the Sector 3 slums, when Ashe had-

"Baby?" Reno's voice again. Cam sighed, "I have to go, Reno. I got to get all dolled up for tonight's festivities." Her voice dripped like bitter honey. Reno frowned at the phone, "Something you want to tell me?"

Cam snickered, "Nah, you're just being paranoid." Reno wanted her to keep talking, "So, um, how's our youngest friend?" Cam smiled to herself, "He's driving the babysitter completely bugshit. He keeps running around. Talks a mile a minute. Or babbles a mile a minute, anyways."

Reno smiled as well, missing Brendan sorely. It had been months since he last saw him, and he wondered what other changes had taken place in the young boy, changes Cam might take for granted but he himself would be shocked to find out.

He opened his mouth to ask something else, but Cam abruptly said, "Babe, I gotta go. I have to put on my makeup. Bye." Reno let out a breath through his nose, glancing at his watch. 7:30. He'd asked a girl out a few days earlier; tonight, in about an hour and a half, was their date. Or one-night stand, depended on how you looked at it. Reno didn't date girls long enough to find out, either way.

Reno conceded, "OK. Bye, babe." He wanted to say something else, some admonition or warning. He knew there was something wrong with her, but didn't know what. All he knew was that Cam was reminding him of his own mother. Or what little he remembered of his mother, before she got into drugs.

Camryn didn't give him time to say anything. The phone clicked softly in his ear. The call went dead.

Again Reno whispered, "Where are you?" No one heard him.

* * *

Camryn sighed, missing Reno. While the phone call made her temporarily happy, now she felt worse than she had before. She wanted to see Reno, to get away from Jud. She was a realist; she knew she couldn't hope for a white-picket-fence kind of life, not with Reno. "_But still . . ._" she thought.

She shook her head. "_No use dwelling on it. Come on, you're gonna be late,_" she admonished herself. She put her makeup on carefully, minding her hurting cheek. The cheek Jud had slapped her on, hard enough to make her mouth bleed.

She was glad that was all he did.

Her conscience whispered stealthily, "_Today, at least. He stopped himself quick. What about next time? Will it be as bad as that other time, when you-_" Cam whispered, "Stop it, stop it . . ." her mind continued, louder, more insistently, "_. . . when you felt like you were going to pass out, and who'd take care of Bren then? You had to heal yourself with Materia, for God's sake!_"

Again Camryn whispered, "Stop it . . ." No one heard her either.

* * *

Now that he couldn't have her, Reno found out he missed Camryn terribly. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but it didn't take a psychoanalyst to see his longing in the companions he chose lately.

He wanted a girl who could drink and swear almost as bad as he could. He wanted a girl he could kiss without having to bend too much (not necessarily because she was tall, but because of the heels or boots she usually wore). He wanted a girl who laughed a lot, and made him laugh a lot as well.

He wanted a girl he could talk to without having to simplify or cover up the basic truths of his existence. He wanted a girl who infinitely complicated said existence.

He wanted a girl whose hair smelled like almonds, who had twin dips on the back of her hips near her butt, who'd talk dirty to him, either to cheer him up or get him in the mood for something else.

Most girls had at least one of those traits, and that only enticed Reno for a single date. A few girls boasted 2 or more, and that piqued Reno's interest for a couple of weeks before he saw much more differences than similarities to the object of his affections.

Hours after having talked to Cam, and in a strange apartment, Reno sighed deeply, running his hands over his face. The girl next to him asked, in a hushed voice, "What is it?" Reno's voice was muffled against his hands, "I thought you were sleeping."

She lay on her side, looking at him. "I can't sleep when the person next to me keeps moving around, sighing like it's the end of the world," she explained, pulling Reno's wrists away from his face.

Reno looked at her, recognizing with a sharp pang of guilt that he'd chosen his companion for the evening because she had long, wavy black hair and had a big, happy laugh.

The girl teased, "C'mon, was it _that_ bad?" She arched an eyebrow when all Reno did was smile faintly and mutter, "No, it's not that . . ."

She bent her head and kissed the corner of his mouth softly. Reno was unresponsive. The girl asked, "You miss someone, right?" It was more a statement than a question, and Reno nodded, again muttering, "I'm sorry if you don't get what you expected from me."

The girl smiled, "Oh, and how would you know what I expected of you? What if all I wanted was to jump your bones?" Reno's mouth twitched as he saw she meant it. He'd had enough experience to be able to read women accurately. The only one who ever really fucked up his radar was Camryn.

"I guess I'd say you're a lusty old thing." Reno commented, drawing another smile from the girl, who defended herself "Hah! But you started it, didn't you? Don't play coy now!"

She grinned and again kissed the corner of his mouth.

Reno was a bit more responsive this time, and turned on his side to look at her. It was her turn to sigh softly, however, and she asked, "Reno, do you love her?" Reno's brow creased as he sought the right words. "Um . . . I do, but . . . I don't . . ." he compromised.

She made a face, smirking as she said, "Right . . ." Reno snickered at her expression, "I don't know . . . I mean, I know she sneezes three times if dinner was really good. She wishes she were better educated. She never watches the news, never knows what's going on . . ."

_Between the lines: Reno remembered how Cam liked giving him love-bites, always in __**very**__ inconspicuous places, how she pinned her messy hair up while she cooked, how she used dance moves learned at the HoneyBee to impress and entice him. But he couldn't tell this other, nameless girl those kinds of things. They were better left unsaid._

Reno's companion looked at him while he spoke, her expression growing soft as she recognized Reno was in deep with this other girl, whether he knew it or not. She felt a flash of anger, of bruised pride as she realized she'd been some kind of rebound girl for Reno. But then, she hadn't gone out with him tonight for anything else other than a nice tussle.

Reno made a frustrated sound, "I know everything about her, I like being with her, but I . . . I always end up running away. I can't . . . I'm . . . my job, you know . . . that, and there's other stuff . . ." How to make her understand all they'd been through, all they meant to each other? All they shared?

_Between the lines: Brendan. Brendan, so tiny, right out of the hospital, right out of Cam's belly. He'd been so small! Brendan's happy voice over the phone. The sound of his laughter, of his little feet on the floor. These things were also best left unsaid. _

"But I guess I don't really love her . . . 'cause I never know what she wants . . . I never know what to do . . . I do things thinking it's for the better, and all I do is fuck up worse."

She was silent long enough that Reno commented, "I just went on and on about someone else . . ." The girl shook her head, "No, it's OK. I'm not mad. I asked, didn't I? Besides, you looked like you needed to talk to someone."

Reno lay on his back, muttering miserably, "I am beyond fucked up." The girl laughed and lay next to him. Reno grabbed her hand and squeezed, murmuring, "Thanks." She returned the squeeze, whispering back, "You're welcome."

* * *

A/N : And I'm back!! Classes are over, I graduated college, and I'm not doing anything over the summer!! I had some major problems last semester, as I was working and studying, and then my desktop died. I'm now writing from a shiny-new graduation gift notebook-laptop-computer thingy.

But enough about me!

I hope you Readers have been well during this hiatus. I also hope I don't get too much overdue criticism for the tardiness between updates.

And now, about the fic!

Some Miyuki madness, so we can see that she really does have some limitations as to how much free rein to give Rufus. I tried to make him ever so slightly pissy without making him a pain in the ass. Let me know how it came out.

I also want there to be physical evidence of the long time Reno and Cam have spent apart. They miss each other, but neither has the guts to just grab on to the other and say, "Damnit, that's enough running around!"

Again, I cannot stress enough how important this is, Please Review!!


	21. Different Shades of Anger

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

Tiny A/N:

Hey guys! This was a bit of a problem chapter for me, (for obvious reasons, after you've read it you'll know) It's a difficult subject matter, and I'm going through a situation at home that won't really allow me to concentrate.

BTW, this is supposed to be about two weeks after the previous chapter.

Magnum.44mm, Thank you so much for your support! And hey, there's no way in hell I would forget this story. Just because I didn't post updates, doesn't mean I was lazing about with it, either. I already have most of the major plot points figured out, scattered all over different notebooks, scraps of paper, on the backs of the extra copies of the tests I gave my students, etc. (laughs nervously)

All I need is to connect those plot points, and _c'est fini_!

And as always, to the rest of the readers:

Read and Review!

* * *

"Please, please, just go away . . ." Cam silently pled as Jud pounded on the door, demanding to be let in. She'd been seeing him for about eight months. He'd been good to her, being affectionate, making her feel good about herself.

It had been after she'd started to trust him, to begin to build a relationship with him that Jud began to change.

He'd begun showing up at work, calling her at her apartment at odd times. Later on, he'd begun going through her things. He always had excuses that sounded good to her, because she wanted to believe them, because she was too much of a coward to see them for what they were.

The fact was that after Reno, she recognized with a bittersweet feeling, nothing would ever be the same for her. She knew she'd fallen in love with him so gradually, with such gentle ease, that she knew, just knew, she'd never be rid of him. She knew he would balk away from her if she pressured him, so she could only wait for him to come around.

So when Jud began to abuse her, she'd done nothing.

It had been her fault, really. She'd been talking to Reno and Jud had snuck up on her, wanting to know who it was she'd been talking to, if it had been a man. He'd begun slow but steady, at first humiliating her and calling her names.

When he first beat her, he convinced her it had been her fault, as he said he'd never beat a woman before, but Cam had pissed him off with her whoring ways.

She knew this wasn't the norm, that she had a responsibility towards Brendan, but she'd been so depressed and ashamed of herself for letting this happen to her that, rather than asking for help, she'd done the opposite. She'd asked Reno to stop calling her, to not visit, to not write.

Then she'd tried to escape Jud's abuse. Cam had gotten splendidly angry and fought him back. Jud had beaten her badly. She'd asked him to stop, to leave her alone. He'd just laughed at her and threatened her.

He'd threatened her with Brendan. Jud said that he could make the case that Camryn was an unfit mother, a single mother without any family ties, who'd begotten Brendan while working in a brothel while still under aged. She worked at the renowned Sector 6 red-light district, working the stripper stage and quite possibly, turning tricks behind the scenes. She always got home very late at night, reeking of men and liquor.

Surely the judge would see fit to take the boy away from her. Take him away, and give him to his almost common-law stepfather, a decent, law-abiding man, who worked hard in the Sector 6 Mako Reactor, allowing the citizens of Midgar to live full and happy lives. The judge would only be too happy of giving the stripper's son's full custody to such an exemplary man, whose only regret was that, while he could try to take the woman out of the slums, he could never take the slums out of the woman.

So Cam had gotten quiet. She'd gotten despondent. She couldn't tell anyone, because she was secretly afraid he'd be right. That the judge really would take Bren away, maybe not to give him to Jud, but to put him in one of those foster homes. They wouldn't give him to Reno, because Cam wouldn't endanger either one of them like that.

So she'd gotten quiet.

After all, who'd they believe, a 24 year old hardworking man, or an 18 year old stripper single mother?

Cam gasped as she heard the flimsy door lock snap as Jud kicked the door hard. Brendan was startled and begun to cry. A minute later he barged into her room. "Ignoring me when I call for you? Fuckin' _locking_ the door on me? I taught you better, you slut!" he scolded her, pulling her by the hair and slapping her.

Jud asked for dinner, or was she stupid enough she hadn't made him anything? Something amazing happened then: Cam had gotten spectacularly angry.

Cam had just been thinking that, despite her long history with Reno, he'd never mistreated her, he'd never been rough with her. If it weren't for his job, she knew Reno would be a much more stable figure in her life. She became frustrated at having fallen so far that this asshole could bring her down and she'd do nothing about it.

All her slum meanness, that attitude she'd discovered within herself so recently, came boiling up in a truly make-or-break moment, and she'd hissed at him, "Get your own fucking dinner, you asshole!"

He looked at her, "What did you say?" Cam jeered, "You sad motherfucker! You can't get your rocks off if it's not beating me, is it? You're disgusting!" Jud looked shocked for a moment, then terribly angry.

Cam knew she shouldn't provoke him, not when he was drunk, not ever, but she couldn't stop herself. "You're pathetic! I mean, how the fuck was I ever afraid of you?" she yelled, her eyes blazing in her fury.

Jud knew how to pick his women: lonely, cut off from family and friends, just a little bit desperate for stability. What he hadn't expected from Camryn was that damned strong backbone of hers. She didn't cry or beg, and took her beatings in stoic silence. Now, though, he'd begun seeing a long-awaited fear simmering in her beautiful eyes.

He shook a large fist at her, "Listen, whore, if you want to be able to go out on your own, you just shut the-"

"Or what, you'll beat me? Been there, done that, grown fucking _tired_ of it!" she screamed at him, hitting him on the chest with her open palms. He grabbed her arm, raising a hand. He didn't mean to slap her; he meant to punch her, his hand clenched in a huge fist. Cam fought back, reaching up and clawing at his face.

Jud bellowed and roughly shoved her away. He began advancing towards her, but suddenly stopped, a cruel smile on his face. He turned towards Brendan's crib.

"_No! Stop it, Jud! Leave him alone!_" Cam screamed, just as Jud slapped Brendan so hard, the toddler hit the side of the crib.

Cam felt that blow deeper than if it had been her who got hit, and it hurt so much to see the pain and terror register in his small face.

Before Jud could do anything else, Cam squeezed herself between Jud and the crib, still screaming, trying to shove Jud away from Brendan. He reached around her, his large hand searching to grab Brendan, who cowered at the far corner of the crib, screaming in fear.

Jud grabbed a handful of her hair to pull her away, yelling "I'll kill you both with my bare hands!" Cam had wrapped her hands around the bars of the crib's side, and wouldn't budge, not even feeling the swatch of hair Jud pulled out of her scalp.

Seeing her not raising her hands made Jud think she'd 'come to her senses', and he slowly relaxed his grip on her hair, his angry expression growing slack in his face.

The young Costan decided to let him think so, knowing she wouldn't be able to withstand a beating and protect her son at the same time. If she could only get him somewhere else, somewhere she could get a weapon . . .

She cried weakly, "Please, Jud, please, no more, I'm sorry . . ." He smiled contemptuously, "About time you saw things my way, girl." Cam nodded, not looking at him, not wanting him to see the idea she'd gotten, "I was stupid, I'm sorry. I . . . let me get your dinner, Jud, c'mon, let's go to the kitchen . . ."

She kept a bat in the small space between the stove and the wall.

Cam made her way to the stove, slightly exaggerating her hurts so Jud thought he'd injured her worse than he had. Her heart pounded in her throat, behind her eyes, in her chest. Her hands trembled badly, and she hoped she'd be able to defend herself and Brendan well.

As he began calmly explaining to her just how powerless she was against him, and stupid she'd been for trying, Cam found out her hands were perfectly steady as she gripped the bat. She quickly brought it out, gripping it tightly in both hands.

He never saw it coming.

Her first, furious blow hit him in the collarbone, breaking it with an audible snap. His cry of pain was drowned out as Cam beat him, screaming,

"Don't you ever-"

_thud_

the bat bouncing against his ribs,

"-_ever_-"

_thud_

the bat cracking against one of his legs,

"-lay a hand on me-"

_thud_

the bat slamming down on his back as he bent over his injured leg,

"-or on my son-"

_thud _

the bat glancing off the side of his head, drawing blood,

"-ever again, motherfucker, now get out!" she shoved him towards the still open door.

He bled profusely from his head wound, and seemed very much dazed as he made his way out. Cam finished shoving him out and flung the bloodstained bat away from herself.

She closed the slightly off-kilt door. Then she placed a chair under the doorknob. Then she shoved the couch in front of the chair.

She was trembling quite badly, breathing in jagged spurts. Cam forced herself to breathe easier, and hurried to her room, to Brendan.

He cried softly, as one hurt but no longer expecting any comfort. She picked him up, her hands trembling so bad she almost dropped him, and begun to cry herself, "I'm so sorry, Bren, I'm so sorry . . ."

After she and Brendan had more or less composed themselves, she used a low-level restorative Materia on Brendan, but Jud had hit him hard, and the raised weal on his face wasn't much better for her efforts.

Then she debated whether or not to call Reno. She thought she'd call him the next day, give herself a chance to lick her wounds, so to speak. Still, a part of her screamed for the sound of his voice.

* * *

Reno, meanwhile, was doing great at forgetting about daily stress and life's little problems. The girl he'd asked out for the night, one Alison (_light, gray-blue eyes; he could almost pretend they were violet_) from the ShinRa Company's Human Resources, at the 46th floor, opened her apartment door and ushered him in.

She closed the door and turned to him, a slow smile dawning on her lips. "And now, my dear Turk, I have you in my lair," she teased. Reno gave her an arrogant smirk, "Ooh, I'm scared now. You sound like a little spider."

She snickered and kissed him. Reno wasn't so much interested in her as much as he was interested in just the intimacy of sex, and he'd let her know as much. Alison had actually seemed to want the same thing.

The kiss deepened, as both moved further into the apartment, Alison leading Reno to her bedroom. She slid her hands under his jacket, running her small palms up and down his chest. (_She didn't ask about his face markings; either she knew or didn't care about them. The less he had to talk about himself, the better._)

His PHS rang.

Reno hissed, "Ahh, fuck, what is it now?" and stepped slightly away from Alison, reaching into his jacket. Alison hooked her fingers in his pants' pockets, pouting, "Mmm, turn it off, Reno, you're here now . . ."

Reno shook his head, "Sorry, Allie, I'm supposed to be on call 24-7 . . ." his voice trailed off as he saw it was Cam's number. "Lemme just get this real quick . . ." he muttered, opening the door and stepping outside, not noticing Alison following close behind.

"Cam?" he answered. "Hello? Cammy?" he insisted, getting no reply other than a small, sharp gasp and some ragged breathing. His alarm bells were all ringing now, and he urged her to talk, "Camryn. Everything alright?"

She hung up.

"Fuck" Reno swore, putting the PHS away. She'd never called like this, and much less to his official PHS number, rather than his personal one. She had wanted to get him on the phone, that much was certain if she used his official number.

He'd always had his suspicions about the man she'd been seeing, but had dismissed them as just jealousy over Cam and Brendan. Still, he'd grown more apprehensive when Cam had urged him to break contact with her, claiming her new beau was a bit watchful of her.

Last time he'd seen her, a couple of months before, she'd reminded him of how his mother had acted, jumping at shadows, a distant look in her purple eyes.

He turned around and came face to face with Alison. "Turk business," she sniffed, regarding him coldly, "Cut the crap. You were talking to some girl." Reno narrowed his eyes at her in annoyance, "Uh, sorry to break it to you, Alison, but I do have other female friends."

She tossed her head, "Yeah, well, too bad. Either you're here with me, or you're not. But I won't have you sleeping with me and going on about some other girl, alright?" Reno scoffed. Her calling Cam 'some girl' was really grating on his nerves.

"Alison, I don't owe you a fucking explanation, but just so you'll shut the fuck up, the _girl_ you keep referring to is a good friend of mine. She's probably in an abusive relationship, and called me for help, and I'm going to her, whether you like it or not." With that, Reno turned on his heel and left.

Almost 30 minutes later, he stood in front of Cam's door. He'd tried to call her as he made his way to her apartment, but she hadn't answered. Now, though, Reno's worry tripled as he saw a bloody handprint on the wall opposite to Cam's door, and made out a man's footprint on her door itself.

Memories of what Ashe had done to Camryn years ago came fresh in his mind, and he clearly visualized her as she'd been then, broken and bleeding. Even worse, he thought of Brendan, not daring to think anything might have happened to the boy.

He knocked on the door loudly, calling out, "Cam! Open the door, it's me!" Reno was relieved when he heard motion inside the apartment. He was puzzled, however, when he heard the sound of moving furniture.

Cam opened the door, and Reno's heart lurched when he saw her bruised, colorful face. She let him in, and when she closed the door and turned to him, he muttered, "Cammy, what the fuck happened to you?"

She tried to laugh at his shocked expression and instead begun to cry a bit. "Um . . ." she began with difficulty, ". . . Reno . . .um . . . Jud . . . he beat me, Reno. Has been, for months now . . ." She sniffled and wiped her eyes, wincing a bit.

Reno tried to speak, feeling so many things that even if Cam hadn't cut him off, he still wouldn't have been able to talk. He felt a powerful, weakening relief that she was alright, and anger at her for letting some guy beat her, and absolute, black hatred for the man who'd done this to her.

"But never again, Reno. I got rid of him. I-I . . . I cracked his fucking head open . . . he hit Bren, and I just-" she spoke, but Reno cut her off now, "He _what_?" He went to her room to check on Brendan. In his crib, Brendan slept quietly. Reno saw the raised bruise on his face, and anger such as he'd seldom felt came over him. He healed the boy with a mid-level Restore, and went out of the room.

He closed the door and faced Cam, hands fisted tightly at his sides. Cam recognized his anger for what it was. She eyed his fists warily, and flinched away from him. He spoke to her in a voice that was low in tone but nonetheless dripped with anger, "You let some asshole beat on you and on Brendan."

She couldn't believe this sudden, weird turn of events. She shook her head, "N-no, Reno, he never got to beat Bren, I-" He interrupted her, "But he beat _you_! For months, Cam!" His anger seemed to wash over her in scalding hot waves.

Cam felt weak after her previous struggles, and to have Reno so angry at her when all she'd wanted was to see a friendly face threw her for a loop. She lowered her head and began to sob quietly as Reno continued in his rage, "How fucking stupid do you have to be, Cam, for fuck's sake!"

Cam looked at him now, scared of how he echoed Jud. She wailed, "How was I supposed to know he'd turn into a maniac, Reno?!" He yelled at her now, "_Months_, Camryn! He didn't just turn into a fucking maniac, he always was, he just buttered you up real nice for it!"

She shook her head, "No, Reno, you don't understand-" He cut her off, "Stop crying!" He hated to see her cry, but instead of stopping his tirade he gestured with his hand, "I mean, what the fuck is wrong with you? Why'd you let this happen? Your mom never beat you, _I've_ sure as fuck never beat you, and now this? _Stop crying!_"

"But Reno-" she tried, and was again outtalked by Reno, "But nothing, Camryn! What if he'd seriously hurt Brendan? What if he put you in the hospital? How the fuck would I have known? Who would've taken care of him, huh? Did you ever think of that, these last few months?" He'd finally spoken the worse of his worries, the root of his anger.

Cam hitched in a sobbing breath, tears rolling freely down her face, "Stop it! Stop! I'm not stupid, and I did think of that, Reno! The moment he laid a finger on Bren I kicked his ass, don't you see-"

He groaned loudly, "But not _you_! You, Cam. The person responsible for Brendan. You. You've been beat for months, but _now_, just _today_, you kick him out- STOP CRYING!"

Cam gasped and pressed on her mouth with both hands. Her breath shuddered badly as she silently sobbed, eyes miserable. Reno felt a horrible, black urge to hit her himself in his rage. However, he suddenly realized, "Then I'd be just as bad as the other guy. Worse even, 'cause she called me for help."

Much worse, because he knew she'd never fight him back; she'd only become his loving victim, as Karla had been Pete's. Jud had been doing to Camryn and Brendan what Pete had done to Karla and himself, back when he was a kid, and he'd be damned if he'd let Brendan grow up in the same uncertain, violent way he had.

Always in fear, always just waiting for a blow to land, waiting for his father's hand to clamp down on his shoulder, always so painfully accurate.

The taunts, the neglect, knowing his mother pulled away from him when his father beat him, that time Pete had thrown him against a wall, so hard Reno was unconscious for hours.

Bottom line, he was scared. He was terribly scared for Camryn and Brendan. If there was anyone, anyone at all, for whom he wished the best, it was for Camryn and Brendan.

Just like that, his anger left him, leaving behind a crust of resentment, guilt, and the awful, greasy feeling of 'what-the-fuck-did-I-almost-do?'

"Cam . . . Cammy . . . I'm so sorry. You called me for help, and I'm here yelling at you. I'm so sorry," he apologized, walking towards her. She still clutched her lower face, her whole frame shaking, and Reno recognized with dismay she actually seemed to be afraid of him.

"Cammy, honey, you know me, you know I'd never hit you, I was just so worried, what if it had been worse, baby? I'm sorry I yelled. I've always been here to help you, but I can't do much if I don't know what's going on. I know you're not stupid, I'm sorry. Sweetheart, please don't cry. You know I'd never hit you." He implored her, hands shaking as he held them out to her.

Even though what Reno said now was another echo, this time of what Jud had told her the first time he'd hit her, Cam knew Reno was sincere; he really did feel bad for yelling. She let go of her face and went to him. Reno hugged her tightly, kissing the side of her head and stroking her back as she cried softly, trembling hard against him and smelling of spent adrenaline.

A while later, when she was more like her usual self, Reno made her sit down while he prepared her some coffee. As he carefully heated milk for the coffee and dug around for a bottle of whiskey (of which he put a generous splash into both mugs before putting in the coffee), Cam narrated Jud's gradual but fast transition from friendly lover to abusive maniac, of how he'd use Brendan to threaten her.

Then she described all that had happened that night. Reno remained silent.

When she finished, Reno muttered, "I know I lost my temper and was generally an asshole, but you do know I'm right. It should never have gotten this far, Cam. Neither me nor Valeriana ever hit you, or even _let_ anyone hit you."

Cam nodded, quickly draining her hot coffee, wanting only to get a shower and some sleep. "I know, Reno. I know. I feel like such a dumbass, you know. But it really was fast for me, how he turned things around. I guess I just . . . got used to it, I don't know . . . but still, I finally got rid of him, right? I beat his sorry ass and ran him out . . ."

She'd trailed off, and after a few seconds' silence, she angrily muttered, "Shoulda stuck the bat up his ass for the good memories, given him one for the road."

Reno snickered so hard some coffee went up his nose, and before long they both howled with laughter.

* * *

A/N : God, this chapter went through a lot! I never quite liked how it came out, and kept writing up different versions of it. Seriously! There's like 2 whole-length versions, and about three different start-ups. I never really figured out where I wanted to head here, what I wanted to convey. In the end, since I had so many versions and pieces of the same chapter, the final version is some sort of mix-and-match grab bag.

Who knows, I might post the other versions, someday.

As I said before, these are very human characterizations, very human, and as such, very flawed. That's why Reno yelled and was mean to Cam. He was truly scared and didn't know how to deal with it. They're both ill-equipped, emotionally at least.

That's also why Cam didn't call Reno for help earlier. She was ashamed of herself, and scared that, if she kicked up a fuss, the authorities really would have taken Jud's side and taken Brendan away from her. and again, in the interest of providing a good, accurate representation of the things I write about, I did some research on abusive relations, and I hope I got that well, both in this chapter and the previous ones where you can hopefully see the progression of an abusive relationship.

As for Cam's beating up Jud with a baseball bat, that was how I envisioned dealing with the situation without having to resort to cops or that dreaded _Deus ex Machina_, Good-Samaritan neighbors.


	22. Different Shades of Joy

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, ShinRa Electric Company or its executives, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

Tiny A/N:

This is kind of a sequel to the previous chapter. It was actually intended to be two chapters rather than this humongous one, but I decided to give you a bonus.

Oh, and please, please, _please_ review! C'mon, just a few lines. It won't hurt, I promise.

Read and Review!

* * *

After they had their pressure-relieving laugh, they finished their coffee and got up. They spent the following minutes cleaning up the messy apartment, an uncomfortable silence settling between them. Camryn knew Reno was still pissed at her.

She stared at him, wanting nothing more than for Reno to look at her. He did. "What is it?" he asked, but his voice, rather than concern and tenderness, held an accusatory tone. Cam looked away, "Nothing. I'm gonna take a shower. I'm sore all over. Then I'm gonna crash."

Reno yawned, kicking off his shoes, "I'm just gonna skip ahead to the crashing part. I'll shower up tomorrow. That is, if the wonderful guy you were seeing allowed you to keep some of my stuff."

Cam chose to ignore the snipe as she perked up, "You're staying?" Reno merely narrowed his eyes at her, "What if Superguy gets healed up and comes back ready for Round 2?"

She shuddered, "Don't say that. He's not coming back, not ever. Guys like that have a pattern. I didn't fit into it, as much as he tried to make me." Reno shrugged a single shoulder and went to her room, where he methodically stripped off the bedcovers.

Cam gave a small, sad sigh and went to get her shower. By the time she was done, she'd discovered the painful place from which Jud had torn out a swatch of her hair. The hot water loosened up her tensed-up muscles and joints, and all her aches made her move like an old woman.

She went out into the apartment and saw Reno, apparently asleep, sprawled out on the uncomfortable sofa. Cam frowned and headed for her bedroom. Brendan slept fitfully, nervously. Cam's eyes brimmed with tears as she remembered his fear and hurt earlier.

"Oh, Bren, how I wish I'd never put you through that . . . I'm so, so sorry . . . I love you so much, and I fucked up bad this time . . ." she said quietly, disconsolately.

Camryn stroked her son's hair, and turned to get into bed. She saw a pile of Reno's clothes, straightened them up. Then she finally lay down, wincing quietly.

Outside, where Reno was feigning sleep, he heard her mutter an apology to Brendan. He sighed, feeling angry and not really knowing why. Sure, she'd let that asshole hit her, but . . . "_Weren't we __**not**__ seeing each other? I mean, we haven't been together for months now. So why do I want to kick that guy's head off? It's __**her **__problem . . ._"

Reno shifted uneasily, thinking, "_But . . . she called me for help. She didn't call any other friend, or the cops. She called me. And I dropped everything to go to her. To Bren._" He sat up, heard Camryn wincing. "_Shit, I healed Bren but not her! She'd been better off calling the cops . . ._" he though, self-deprecating.

Cam saw him come into the room. Her skin pricked up with gooseflesh and she saw a green flash as Reno activated the Materia to heal her. She instantly felt much better.

"Thank you, Reno," she said in a quiet voice, "That feels great." Reno shrugged, "It's just mid-level. You OK?" Cam gave him a half-hearted smile, "Peachy." Then she sat up, "Seriously, Reno, thank you so much for being here. It means a lot, you know."

Reno made a small sound in his throat. He was still angry at her, but damn if he couldn't resist her, vulnerable and flawed as she was. He got into bed with her, spooned her from behind.

Cam felt everything loosen up inside her, all the fear and stress, as she pulled his arm around her and relaxed into him. Reno kissed the back of her head, drawing a deep breath. He pulled his legs up behind hers, and grumbled, "Go to sleep, will ya?"

* * *

Cam woke up, saw she was alone in bed. Reno had apparently given her another dose of Restorative magic, as Cam felt refreshed and rested, only mildly sore from the previous day.

She looked to the other side of the room. Brendan was fast asleep. Camryn was glad to see the bruise in his cheek was gone, but knew with a shudder she wouldn't be forgetting that cruel mark anytime soon.

Camryn got up and dressed quietly, then headed out to fix herself some coffee. She was startled when she saw Reno in the living room. He'd actually been just about to leave, his hand on the doorknob, when he heard Camryn softly ask him, "Please, Reno . . ."

He took his hand away from the doorknob, but wouldn't look at her.

"Reno," she pled, "Why are you so angry at me?"

He finally turned around, eyes downcast. "I don't really know, Cam." She opened her mouth to speak, but Reno was ahead of her, "It's just . . . why can't you ever see yourself like I see you?"

Camryn frowned, "What? How do you mean? How do you see me, Reno?" He waved a hand in a frustrated gesture, "As someone much better than this. Better than this cramped apartment, better than that guy you were seeing."

It was her turn to cast her eyes downward. "What else can I do, Reno? I don't have a lot of options. It's easier for you; you're quick, you have experience, you're a man. How . . . What can I do? I'm an 18 year old single mother. No school. No previous experience in any working arena. I can't afford to finish school; I barely have enough money as it is! I'm working so hard, just to keep myself and Bren alright."

"Please, Reno, please don't be angry at me."

Reno sighed, finally straightening up, "Cam, you're wrong about that. You're not helpless. I keep telling you, you're smart, and strong. It kills me when you undermine yourself like that. There are things you can change. I managed to change."

Camryn gave a sarcastic snort, "C'mon, Reno. Is being a Turk all that different from what you were in TBF?" Reno frowned, "What?"

She went on, her hurt at Reno's words making her tone sharper than it needed to be, "Reno, look at it. What do you do now as a Turk that you didn't do back in Sector 3? It's the same shit! Nothing's changed! You're still out there, spying, kidnapping, and even killing people for a living."

Reno paled as he stammered, "B-But it's different, Cam, it's . . ." he trailed off, looking hurt. "I guess you're right. Everything is still the same . . ."

Camryn hated herself just now, for putting that sad, defeated look in his face, for lashing out at someone who had only the best in mind for her. She reached out and grabbed one of his hands.

"C'mon, Reno. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I know what you're saying. It's not the job that changes, it's us. We're the ones that can change. Please, I'm sorry, just stop being sad, stop being angry at me, I can't think when you're like this . . ." she pled, her voice breaking as she brought Reno's hand to her face and stroked her cheek along the back of it.

Reno was silent, but he turned his hand around, cupping Cam's cheek in it.

Camryn sniffled, "Why? Why is it so important to you? Why do you have so much faith in me?" Reno pulled her to him, hugged her. "I just do, Cam. I know you."

He pulled away from her, and she saw his eyes were serious, "I know you don't like me to hover over you and Bren, but I want to be there, I want to help. But you need to stop being so fucking hard-headed and let me help."

Cam gave him a tentative smile, and was reassured when he answered in like. "OK," she admitted, "I'm a stubborn bitch. I'll try to change that. I want you to be there, too." She was glad to see Reno smile wider, looking happier. "So," she asked, entwining her fingers with his, "what did you have in mind?"

* * *

He'd had a lot in mind.

Reno wanted her to move up to the Plate.

* * *

**December 17, 0001**

"Now. In the middle of winter," Cam thought irritably.

He spent a few days searching and dug up possible apartments. He'd found one that looked very promising. They'd already been up to see it, and both of them really liked it. It was in a safe part of the Sector 6 plate, near to most convenient places.

At Reno's insistence, Cam had begun packing up and moving her things to the new place after she and Reno got off work. As it was, Cam had been living in her new place for all of one week, scrambling around town to get warm clothes for Brendan and herself.

The rent was a little higher than she liked, but Reno gave her such a dark and forbidding glare when she objected to it that Cam had ceased all attempts to change to a more affordable apartment.

He'd been nearly paranoid leaving her alone these last three weeks, but there was a lot of work concerning the new Turk recruits. They had to be trained, get their Mako treatments, shown to their new places of residence. Some had to be trained in Materia use, some in weapons use, most in both.

Most of the other, older Turks were working hard against the increasingly more powerful and influential AVALANCHE. Veld was doing administrative work. Tseng helped only when his hectic schedule permitted. Rude tried to help, but as had happened with Miyuki, the new Turk recruits seemed intimidated by him. He was also currently seeing someone, and had slightly pulled away from his fellow Turks.

And talking of Miyuki, she was more a hindrance than a help, picking on the new recruits and pulling pranks. Reno had had to rescue at least three of the new recruits whom Miyuki had sent to Hojo's maze-like laboratory.

Said young men and women were deeply disturbed by the experiments, and were loath to trust any senior Turk any moment soon. That included Reno himself.

Still, Reno made it a point to call nearly every day, and check in with Cam every few days. He'd hated to admit it when he first left Cam after that final incident, but he'd been nervous about Jud coming back and hurting Cam.

That nervousness vanished when, a few days later, Reno made it a priority to check on Sector 6 below-Plate hospitals. Cam had said she'd broken Jud's collarbone, and such an injury needed hospital care.

He'd found the hospital record, using ShinRa's powerful intelligence gathering computers. "_Ooh, you really did a number on him, sweetheart!!_" Reno chuckled to himself with glee as he read, "_Splintered fracture of the left clavicle, concussion, scalp laceration, extensive bruising along ribcage, arms and legs; victim claims he was mugged by at least three men at a train station, refuses to issue formal police statement._"

Reno pulled Jud's home address from the computer file. He went down for a visit. Jud wouldn't be bothering Brendan and Camryn for quite a while. At least, until he could walk again.

_He'd arrived at Jud's house, at the darkest hour of the night. He'd come with a mask over his face, but not doing anything to conceal his uniform. He'd beaten Jud within an inch of his life, holding himself back at the very last possible moment, equal parts of him either wanting to completely destroy Jud as he'd done to the last men who hurt Camryn, or trying to keep himself from stooping to his level, as he remembered what Camryn had said before, "__**. . . We're the ones that can change . . .**__"_

"_Leave her alone, OK buddy? If I ever catch you sniffing around her, I'll kill you. And I'll fucking make it last, you hear? I'll make it last, and I'll make it hurt." The redhead threatened, "Forget about Camryn. Don't ever bother her or Brendan again. ' Cause I will find out. And when I do, this will only seem like a fucking picnic compared to what's gonna happen to you." _

_He thought he saw the big man agree. But it was hard to make out his expression underneath all the blood and the swelling._

_As a final coup de grace, he dug up some old warrants Jud had, and, as soon as he got out of the hospital this second time around, Jud was facing a few years in the desert prison of Corel._

As it was, Reno finally had a couple of days off. He'd already called Camryn, and knew she had a couple of free days as well, a rare occurrence for the young Costan. Reno had told her he'd have the weekend off, so she'd asked for the day off.

Pair that with the rare chance that her other part-time job had given a day off the day following that, and Cam had gotten herself 2 days to relax and get used to her new apartment.

Reno checked his watch; 11:30. Camryn got off work at the HoneyBee at midnight. Reno waited outside, in the alley where the girls came out of the building. He knew just how tired she was from the way she looked. She looked pale, washed out.

They walked together to one of the slum elevators, much like the one Camryn remembered escaping Sector 3 in. The main difference was that now Reno had clearance to use it; he didn't have to bribe anyone to let her up.

There were many public elevators, but those could be dangerous this late at night. The ShinRa official ones, however, could only be used with keycards, and were much safer.

It was a strange setup, and if anyone at ShinRa bothered to check out all the weird trips Reno supposedly made up and down this elevator, he'd be out of a job (at best) in a hurry. He'd claimed he'd lost his elevator keycard and filed the necessary paperwork to get a new one.

Then he'd given his old keycard to Cam, thus allowing her to live safely and comfortably up in the Plate while she worked in the slum, using ShinRa's private elevators.

Another difference from the ShinRa Sector 3 elevator was that this one had a small bench where passengers could sit during the long ascent. Camryn sat heavily on the bench, sighing, "I wish I could call and check on Bren . . ."

Reno looked out through the elevator window as they rose out of the slums. He turned back to her, "Let's pick him up. That way we can sleep in, not have to wake up in a couple of hours to go get him."

Camryn demurred, but Reno convinced her, "Just tell her you missed Bren terribly, and pay her double. I'll spring for it; I miss the little guy."

When they finally reached the Plate, Reno led Cam to the car he was using, part of ShinRa's motor pool. "Company car, Reno?" Cam teased. Reno shrugged, "Ugly, ain't it?"

She dozed off during the drive, was startled when she felt the car stop, "Whuzzat?" she asked groggily. "Gesundheit," Reno answered, "We're here, babe. Call the babysitter."

Cam did, feeling lucky than the babysitter lived on the same building as she did. A few minutes later, the babysitter was thanking her profusely for the bonus cash, and carried Brendan out to her. Brendan was deeply asleep.

She put him in his crib ("_In his room! Bren has his own little room now!_" a part of her squealed happily, "_No more everyone squeezing into one little room, 'cause we've got SPACE!_") Then she left Reno, who was raiding her fridge looking for leftovers, and went to take a shower, claiming she wasn't hungry.

Reno finished eating, and looked at Bren. Everything seemed OK. He went into the bathroom, bothering Camryn. "Hey babe," he began, "need any help washing those hard-to-reach places?"

Camryn snickered, "Nah, I'm very, _very_ flexible, hon." Reno gasped dramatically, "I am shocked! I'm going in there, teach you some manners!" Cam peeked out, eyeing him, "Really? 'Cause this shower's tiny. You're gonna have to really squeeze in here."

Reno was already naked, grinning, "I'm very, _very_ much into squeezing, wouldn't you know?"

After their shower, Camryn flopped into bed, groaning mildly. "Reno, Reno put your hand beneath my back, check this out," she asked. When his hands were where she wanted them, she moved her back and legs. Reno felt and heard several minute pops along her spine.

He took his hands out and moved to the bottom of the bed, "Jeez, girl, what's that from, the heels you have to wear?" Cam nodded, "That, and the other hours I'm putting in with the part-time job."

Reno winced, then grabbed one of her legs. Before Cam could ask, Reno pulled it at the same time he pushed her foot up at a square angle to her calves. Cam groaned loudly, feeling her calf muscles stretch out. She groaned louder still when Reno, apparently satisfied with the status of her calf, grabbed her foot, squeezing and rubbing it using the pads of his thumbs.

He kissed her toes and grinned, "Tone it down, baby. The neighbors might get interested in just what exactly I'm doing to you to make you scream like that." Cam groaned quietly, squirming, "I don't care, I don't- oh, Reno! This is wonderful! You're amazing! From here on out, you're Reno the Magnificent!"

Reno laughed under his breath, "Sounds good to me. Time to switch." He gently put her now-limp leg on the bed, and took up the other one. He repeated the process, laughing when Camryn promoted him from Reno the Magnificent to Reno the Virtuoso, Dazzling Mastermind of Achy Stripper Feet.

"C'mon, Cammy, I might get the idea you like foot rubs better than sex," he pouted, lying next to her. Cam leaned against him, kissing his neck and cheek, "No, baby! Don't ever think that!" Reno persisted, "Then how come you never call me Reno, the Astonishing Prodigy of the G-Spot, or Reno the Glorious Bringer of Multiple Orgasms?"

Cam burst into laughter, Reno laughing as well. They fell asleep with faded smiles left on their faces.

* * *

The following morning, Reno woke up early, as a force of habit. He tried to get out of bed quietly, so as to not wake Camryn up. It was hard work, since "_she apparently tried to use me as a blanket . . ._" Reno mused.

She woke up, muttered, "Nargh . . ?" Reno smiled, "Yeah, exactly. Let me go!" Rather than letting him go, Cam actually snuggled even tighter against him. She kissed the back of his head, muttering, "Mmm, you smell pretty . . . " and finally let him go.

Reno sat on the bed's edge, looking at her, "Happy Homecoming, baby." Cam curled herself around him as he sat, lightly kissing his leg, "Where's my present?" Reno gave her a self-satisfied little smirk, "Didn't get a chance to buy you a blender or anything, so I guess I'll just be your slave for the day."

Cam gently bit his soft, unprotected side. Reno laughed nervously and shied away from her, "C'mon, don't do that! You know how that gets me!" Camryn smiled; "_the great, powerful Reno, ticklish_!" she thought.

That was something she'd discovered quite accidentally. They'd been play-wrestling as kids when Cam nearly fell. She grabbed him by the sides to avoid falling, only to fall anyway (and with Reno on top), the redhead cackling insanely.

Camryn had made it one of the high points of her life to discover just how many ticklish spots Reno had.

"_Sides, right below the ribs; feet all over: bottoms, tops, toes and ankles. And just behind the knees,_" Cam knew.

Reno got up, stretched, "Bah! I may be your slave, but trying to tickle me is a violation of civil rights!" Camryn laughed, and made as if to get up. Reno smacked his hand against her forehead and pushed her back into bed, "Go back to sleep, dumbass!"

Camryn frowned at him, "Ren-" He shushed her, "I'll take care of Bren. You just sleep, OK?" She looked at him appraisingly, then nodded, "OK. But call me if anything happens that you're not sure how to deal with, yeah?"

Reno idly scratched his flat belly, "Babe, I'm a Turk. ShinRa's elite. I deal with the most powerful and bitchy people in Midgar. You telling me I can't handle Bren, such a little guy?"

Camryn only smiled knowingly and waved Reno off.

As he was eating cereal a few minutes later, Reno heard Brendan fussing. Reno wanted Camryn to sleep, so he'd picked the boy up and took him out into the living room.

He saw with chagrin that the toddler needed a diaper change.

True to his word, he wouldn't allow this to thwart him. He said he'd handle Brendan, and "_By God, that's what I'll do . . . Wet diaper and all . . . Ew._"

Reno had only the most rudimentary idea of how a diaper change went (and thank Gaia Bren had only peed), and thus ended up bathing Brendan in the kitchen sink. He tried to finish quickly, as it had snowed during the night and it was cold, even inside the heated apartment.

He'd dried the boy up with the bathroom towel, and fetched a clean diaper from the toddler's room ("_Shit yeah! My man Bren's got a room now! No more feeling guilty for hanky-panky with his momma in the same room!_" a part of him exulted).

All in all, he thought he'd done nicely, watching Brendan run around the apartment, his small bare feet making sounds.

The baby looked so happy playing with his few toys that Reno was tempted into sitting on the floor next to him. Almost immediately, Brendan gave him a look and launched himself at Reno.

He bit Reno's head.

Reno sniggered wildly at the odd sensation of tiny teeth biting his scalp, and did the only reasonable, obvious choice: he bit Brendan, wherever he could grab the toddler.

That was how Cam found them a while later: all tangled up on the floor, both of them laughing and babbling senselessly.

"Um, having fun?" she asked, smiling. ("_Biting on his scalp! I never knew he was ticklish on his freaking __**skull,**_") she filed away. Reno sat up quickly, pushing Brendan to his feet. "Y-Yeah, we're OK," Reno began, "we were just- Ack!" he exclaimed, as Brendan dropped heavily onto Reno's lap.

Camryn laughed at Reno's pained expression, as he grunted, between teeth gritted in pain, "For fuck's sake, woman, how much does this kid weigh?" She bit her lower lip, "27 pounds."

Reno lay back, eyes closed, looking pale, "27 fuckin' pounds just dropped onto my nuts, oh God . . . I'm dying . . ." Cam shook with silent laughter, and watched Brendan crawl his way up Reno's body to lay on his chest and stomach.

"Eno, play!" he said cheerily. Reno cracked open an eye, "Eee! Get away from me!" Brendan gave him a happy grin and put his head on Reno's chest. Camryn saw Reno smile despite himself, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, all is forgiven . . . No way, I'm having my revenge later."

To her, though, he only growled, "You! Get back to bed!"

Cam yawned, "Nah, I'm OK. Besides," she pulled Brendan off Reno's prone body, "who _can_ sleep with all the noise you guys are making?" She put Brendan in his high chair, and tossed away Reno's cereal.

"Hey, I was eating that!" he protested, but Camryn said, "Ah, it was a soggy mess. I was gonna fix us some pancakes, but if you'd rather have soggy Wheaty-O's, be my guest . . ." Reno grumbled, "Smartass . . ."

She eyed him, "What did you say, dear?" Reno grinned, "I said, where's Bren's cereal?" Now it was Cam who muttered, "Smartass."

After they ate, Cam set Brendan down to play with his toys. Reno noticed she still looked frayed around the edges. He innocently asked, "These last few weeks have been hard, right?" She nodded, "Tell me about it. You?"

Reno widened his eyes a bit, "Fuckin' A! I haven't really had a day off in almost a month, damn Veld and the rookies he hired all the way to blackest, fiery, everlasting hell!"

Cam laughed, but watched him carefully. She knew Reno was about to piss her off. She just knew it, from the way he was acting. He made a show of cleaning his fingernails, "So, Cam, it's some sort of miracle you got a weekend off, right?"

She nodded carelessly, intending to goad him into telling her what was on his mind through her silent attitude. He fell for it. "Damnit, Cam," he began, "How many jobs are you working, since we began to move you up here?"

Camryn sighed, and steeled herself, "The HoneyBee is only part time, only at night. They're still kinda punishing me for having Bren, but it's still the highest paying job I have. Then there's the electronics store, another part time job."

Reno nodded, "Yeah, you've had that other one for a couple of months, you told me. But there's something else, isn't there?" She nodded, "Yep. This last month I went in way over my head. All the bills from the other apartment, and all the safety deposits for this one . . . I took up a third job, at an item store."

The Turk hissed, "Holy shit, woman! You're working three jobs at a time? No wonder you look about to pass out!"

Cam smiled, "Yeah, but think of the discounts I get on Tents!"

Reno scowled at her. Cam tsk'ed at him, "Come on, sweetie, don't make that face at me." She took his chin in her hand and gave him a loud, friendly kiss on the mouth. He gnawed on his lower lip thoughtfully, then gestured at her, "Listen, gimme all your bills, any notes on regular expenses. I'm not- Hey! Don't look at me like that,"

Cam had been frowning at him, but he defended himself, " I'm not gonna force you to let me pay, I just want to check something. I'm also gonna need the figures you're earning at those jobs. Gimme, gimme!"

She fetched him all the papers he needed, as well as a notepad and a pencil. Once he had everything, he turned her around, gave her a smart spank, and ordered, "Now get out of here! Take Bren and get out of the apartment, let the kid have some fresh air!"

He waited for Cam to leave, and began to work, stopping only to call certain people.

Outside, Cam walked with Brendan holding onto her hand. "_Everything's so different up here,_" she thought. It was so much colder up here than in the slums, but even so, there were plenty of people roaming the streets, with none of that furtive anxiety that pervaded the slums.

She and Brendan contented themselves with walking around a small park close to her apartment. Camryn sat on a bench and let Brendan socialize with other children, who'd also come out with their mothers to take advantage of the bright, clear day. She watched Brendan kick and stomp small piles of snow, plump cheeks flushed with laughter. He'd loved snow since he first saw it a few days ago.

After a while, Camryn sighed and glanced at her watch. More than an hour had elapsed since she'd left Reno in her apartment, but she knew he didn't want to be bothered. Reno had the tendency to snap at people when they bothered him while he was working.

Camryn glanced up at the sky. It had been nice weather up at the Plate this last week she'd been up here. It was sunny, but still very cold. They were coming out of winter, into an early spring. Because of all the pollution over the mega-industrialized city, and because of the dry, hot air of the wasteland surrounding Midgar, it didn't snow much.

What they most often got was a hard, dry frost, with occasional piles of fluffy snow. Late winter and early spring usually manifested itself in Midgar with hail and thunderstorms. Reno had warned her about them, telling her they were dangerous to be out in, and crazy scary to boot.

Camryn had yet to see one, and was quietly dreading the day. She called Brendan to herself, and continued walking around the outside of the park, looking at the small shops.

"_Everything's so much noisier, too,_" she continued musing, as a young man on a motorcycle sped past, startling her and Brendan, who whimpered and shied away. "Easy, sweetheart," she comforted him, picking him up rather clumsily, because of the bulky little coat he was wearing.

She silently thanked Reno for insisting they move up on the Plate. Brendan had always been a cheerful boy, but he seemed so much happier now that Camryn could take him out into the sunshine. He squirmed, wanting her to put him down. As soon as she did, however, he pulled at her clothes and pointed at a small shop near the corner. "Ice cream, Mama," he asked.

"It's too early, sweetie. You just barely had breakfast. See? There not even open yet," she explained, pointing out the dark shop. Brendan gave a small sigh, looking wistfully at the shop. Camryn smiled, "Aw, what's with the heartbreak, Bren? Come on, let's look at the birds. I'll buy you a donut, and we'll share."

She knew how he loved watching the pigeons, the foul city birds everyone loathed but she and Brendan adored, mainly because in the slums, there were no birds, pigeons or otherwise.

No sooner had she sat down, watching Brendan follow the birds around, throwing pieces of his donut to feed them, then running away shrieking when they drew close, when Reno called. "Why am I here by myself?" he inquired in a cross voice.

Camryn began, "But you kicked me ou-" He yelled, "I demand attention!" He hung up. Camryn made an annoyed sound, and called Brendan, "Bren! We're going back, Reno wants us."

Once they got to the warm lobby of their apartment building, Camryn took Brendan's coat off. When she got back, she'd no more than opened the door when Reno swooped down on her. He grabbed Brendan and flipped him over, so that the little boy hung with his feet up and his head down.

Brendan shrieked with laughter, Reno pretending to ferociously bite his belly. Camryn stared aghast, "Oh-my-god-Reno," she gasped, "Don't drop him!" Reno maneuvered Brendan around, till he had the boy suspended in midair, grabbing his small ankle in his hand.

"Hey, babe," he greeted her, kissing the tip of her nose. He proffered the whooping boy's foot at her, "Does this belong to you?" Camryn grinned, "Oh, Reno, don't be mean! Put him down." Reno gently deposited Brendan to the floor. The boy seemed dazed, laughing in feeble gasps.

Camryn put Brendan's coat down and stepped over her son's prone body, "So, what did you do with my bills? You seem awfully happy." Reno winked at her, "I am. Now I suppose you'll call me Reno the Illustrious Number Cruncher."

He showed her the notepad. Camryn saw many figures, added up, crossed out, subtracted. "OK, please explain," she muttered, glancing over at Brendan, who'd finally managed to get to his feet. "Gimme a minute, let me park this kid in front of the tube," Reno said, turning on the TV to the cartoon channel.

"That won't work. Bren's got the attention span of an acorn. Here," Camryn put a handful of cereal in a sturdy plastic cup, "Give him this. He pours them out, puts them back in one by one, stacks them in piles, sticks them in his nose, throws them around . . . Anything but eat the stupid things." Reno's brow creased, "What the hell . . ?"

He got back to her, "OK, so this is how it goes. I added up all your expenses, that's this nasty-ass number. Then I saw a whole lot of things here that you don't really use but are paying for anyway, like this phone-call-plan thingy. . ."

Camryn watched and listened as Reno explained all the things he'd done. All the expenses he'd modified, the agencies he'd called to help Camryn subsidize her payments. As the final figure rolled around, Camryn gasped, "Oh, my God, Reno! I . . . I could actually-"

He grinned, "You could quit a job, Cammy. I'd say, quit the item store. The hours are lousy, the pay is worse, and nobody needs a fucking Tent right now, so even the discount's trash."

She grinned, and Reno added, "Also, by the end of, say, maybe three or four more months, the expenses will settle and you could actually quit the electronics job, too. Keep the HoneyBee if you like . . . but there has to be something else-"

Camryn laughed delightedly, sitting on his lap. She threw her arms around his neck and noisily kissed his cheeks, mouth and forehead, "You're -_kiss_- a freaking -_kiss_- genius!! -_kiss, kiss_-"

Reno smiled and hugged her back. She affectionately nuzzled his neck, "Mhmm, you really are a clever little bastard. How'd you do all that, in the little while I was gone?" He shrugged, "Ah, most of the tips came from the Company's Head of Urban Development. He gave all those tips and money advice to the Company employees a month or so ago."

She was relentless, grabbing the sides of his face and kissing him all over the face, "I still insist you're brilliant! You're smart! You're amazing, a genius!"

He snickered, "Nah, Tuesti's the real genius. He's the one who built Midgar, and-" He laughed and tried to pull away when Camryn discovered yet another ticklish spot ("_Two new spots in a single day! It's a world record!_"), snuffling behind his ear, "Cut it out! He even makes these cool little robots, with pretty decent AI and all- Ah-hahahaha, leave me alone! Don't do that!"

She'd resumed her snuffling his ear.

Then she pulled back and whispered, "Baby, you just saved me a ton of money, and let me quit a job. That's like catnip to me. You're a sexy beast. I am so amazingly hot for you right now. Just wait till Bren takes his afternoon nap. I'll be all over you like sweet on honey. I'm gonna drag you to my room, and then I'm gonna tie you to the bed. I'm not letting you go till you pass out."

Reno arched his eyebrows, "Yum. Sounds kinky. Can't we just give the kid a sleeping pill? Or at least empty out the whole fucking box of cereal in front of him?" She grinned, "Nope. Anticipation, in some cases, can be very rewarding." He pouted, and Camryn leaned forward, kissing him. She muttered, against his mouth, "Thank you so much, Reno. For everything." He muttered back, "It's OK . . ."

* * *

A few hours later, Brendan finally fell asleep. Camryn tiptoed out of the room, caught Reno's eye as he stood expectantly at the living room. She grinned and ran to him, leaping at the last moment. He caught her but tripped on his feet and fell on his back, head bouncing off the floor. His protest was quickly stifled when Camryn straddled his hips, pulled him up by his arms and pulled off his shirt.

* * *

A/N: There ya go, nice long chapter for you guys. It's actually two chapters in one, but I didn't really know where to split it.

I hope you noticed the contrast between the other, previous big fight they had, and this one. The first fight, they were yelling and screaming and crying all over the place. Now, it was a bit more controlled.

I'd like to think Reno and Cam are maturing, Reno through his job, as he's taking care of the new recruits (and you can check out the transcripts in Gunshot Romance, Reno really is always helping the rookies out) and Camryn through motherhood.

After all the heaviness of the last couple of chapters, I wanted to write something more cheerful, on a happier note.

Hence, Camryn inventing all those weird-ass names for Reno, as well as the ones Reno made for himself. Also, the bizarre head-biting incident.

Brendan is supposed to be just nearly two years old, and while they throw tantrums at that age, they are also insanely cute. So I guess it kinda balances out, yeah? And two-year-olds really do have the attention span of an acorn.

I also wanted the chapter to have a bit of a dark kick to it, so I hope you like Jud's final punishment! As for that tiny little bit at the end, she _did _say she was going to be all over him.

And another aside, yeah, the Head of Urban Development in ShinRa Company is none other than our beloved Reeve Tuesti, a.k.a Cait Sith's human operator.


	23. Thunderstroms and Icescapes

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, ShinRa Electric Company or its executives, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

SPOILER WARNING!!

This chapter contains plot points for the Before Crisis game, not yet released in the US. The chapter is essentially describing the events of Chapters 8 and 9 of the game, as well as detailing Vice-President Rufus ShinRa's involvement with certain peoples.

Before Crisis is going to take so frickin' long to get here, I'm just reading and using the game transcripts, readily available through the Gunshot Romance. The webmaster, Dark Angel, has given me permission to use her translations for this fic. If you're a bear for anti-spoiler-ism, I guess I'll keep posting the Spoiler Warnings till I hit the actual FF VII game. Oh well.

Read at your own risk, and please review!

* * *

**January 14, 0002**

Reno glanced at the clock over the Turk workstations. "_I feel like I've been here forever, and it's only 11:30!!_" he thought, yawning widely. Work had been especially hard these last couple of weeks, as AVALANCHE had been gathering more and more power.

Everyone was baffled at how much stronger the terrorist cell had become. Their ranks were very well organized, and their knowledge of weapons and Mako reactors was much more refined than it was last year.

As a result, Reno hadn't been to Camryn's apartment in nearly two weeks, just after New Year, though as always, he called often. He was actually looking forward to Brendan's second birthday, in just a few days, thinking about what insanely ridiculous toy he could get the toddler. He glanced around.

The Turk workstations were deathly quiet, everyone deeply absorbed in their work. Veld had Turks running around all over the world, gathering information and following up on clues.

Then, in the midst of a silence so thick it could be cut with a knife, a weary female voice loudly groaned, "Augh, I wish a big, burly man would just drag me to my room and lay me to waste!"

Thunderstruck silence met her words. Then a few Turks began to laugh. It did wonders to relieve stress, and before long, the previously tomb-like room was turned into a bedlam of loudly guffawing Turks.

Reno was purple-faced with laughter as he glanced over to Rude, who had taken off his sunglasses to wipe his streaming eyes. He, in turn, looked at Miyuki, who grinned, happy to have created chaos yet again.

Before long, however, everyone looked towards Tseng. He had actually joined in the laugh, his normally stoic, pale face flushed as he grinned at Miyuki. He shook his head at her and stood, "Alright, Miyuki, you win. Everyone, take a one hour lunch-break."

A few of the noisier Turks cheered, and almost immediately, the room was empty except for Reno and Rude, who were hell-bent on taking Tseng out for lunch, and Miyuki, who wanted to annoy Tseng a bit more.

"C'mon, you're not blowing us off this time, boss," Reno warned Tseng, as Rude intoned, "Paperwork can wait. You've been putting in long hours." Tseng admitted defeat, but narrowed his eyes at Miyuki, "You just wanted to disrupt work, didn't you?"

Miyuki grinned happily, "Well, it's true, I do want to be manhandled." Tseng shook his head, "Such lack of refinement . . ." Miyuki shrugged, "At least I'm honest. You know what else I could really use, _sempai_? Some dirty talk! And maybe even some spanking! I'm depraved!"

Reno laughed at Tseng's horrified expression, "Yeah, she's filthy, she has these wild orgies all the time. A couple of nights ago, some freak in a leather leotard chased me around with nipple-clamps and a feather duster. I think it was that crazy Mukki guy."

Rude merely rumbled with quiet laughter as Tseng eyed the two crazy Turks warily, "What am I going to do with you two?" Reno and Miyuki were already heading to the elevator, Reno with an arm slung casually around Miyuki's shoulder, Miyuki's arm thrown around his waist.

A while later, after they'd had their lunch, Tseng motioned at Miyuki, "So you've got guard duty with the Vice-President later today, right?" She nodded, stealing glances at Rude's dessert. Rude noticed, and he took a big spoonful of his dessert and put it on her plate. She clapped happily, "Ooh, Rude, you're the best! RENO!!" she roared, as Reno stole a bit of the dessert from Miyuki's plate.

She swatted Reno's hands, barely hearing what Tseng had said. "What, _sempai_?" she asked. "Please don't 'lose' him today. AVALANCHE is increasingly powerful, and they might try for something if the Vice-President's alone and unprotected."

Miyuki frowned, "C'mon, Tseng, gimme some credit. I've never left him completely alone, not since he got drunk with this jackass," she gestured at Reno, who flipped her the middle finger.

She was about to grab it and twist it when Tseng said, "Nonetheless, we know AVALANCHE has spies everywhere, especially where you least expect them . . ." An uncomfortable silence took over. They all knew about Rude's ill-fated romance over the winter.

The girl he'd been seeing turned out to be an AVALANCHE spy.

Luckily, what she felt for Rude had been genuine, and she'd run away from AVALANCHE, disappeared rather than harm Rude. The big Turk had told them about it, and although he was expressionless while telling them what happened, they all knew Rude never gave his heart in vain, and he was in emotional pain over what happened.

"Understood, _sempai_," Miyuki acknowledged. Then she nudged Rude's leg with her own. He looked at her, and Miyuki gave him a quick smile that he answered in like.

* * *

Camryn and Brendan discovered the truth about the weather the hard way. After the cold but mostly clear first weeks in their new, over the Plate apartment, they had their very first winter hailstorm.

While they lived in the slums, it never rained, not unless one counted the sewage sluice gates up on the Plate. Thunder usually sounded very far, very distant. There was no real wind, so to speak, and it was always, consistently cool.

Below-Plate, all a person had to worry about was having warm clothes. On the Plate, a person had to dress appropriately for the different seasons. Camryn had had to buy all her and Brendan's winter wardrobe in a week, and ". . . _oh, shit, I forgot to buy umbrellas . . ._" Camryn remembered now, shivering with cold and fright, a morbid kind of curiosity compelling her to look out the kitchen window.

The sky was alive with ugly colors: the greenish glow from the Mako reactors, bright, white-blue flashes of lightning, the dull grayish-black of the night-sky.

Rain and hailstones pattered against the glass windows, driven by the wailing wind. "_Everything's so loud up here . . ._" Camryn thought miserably, flinching against the cloth-tearing noise of a really near lightning strike. The resulting boom was tremendous, and Camryn heard Brendan begin to cry.

She went to him, and no sooner had she come into the nursery when the toddler, who'd been standing in his crib, began motioning her to pick him up. Camryn did, and the terrified youngster put his arms around her neck, holding her tightly.

Camryn went back to bed, and put the thick covers over herself and Brendan. He trembled slightly, whimpering at the loud booms of thunder. Camryn stroked him, comforting him, soothing herself in the process.

She glanced at the alarm clock, 10:21. She muttered an oath. Reno had told her he'd come over after work, spend the night. Then she whispered, scolding herself, "Feh! Who needs the skinny bastard?" she tried to brave herself up, "I'm not afraid of this, this is just a stupid little kitty-cat storm, and- _ohmigodwhat's that,soscary!_" she gasped at a heavy clink of ice against her bedroom window.

Camryn stuck her head out from beneath the covers; she thought she'd heard something.

She had. There was someone at the door, she could hear the creak it made when opening. Camryn got up and immediately, Brendan whimpered, as if saying, "Don't leave me!" She grabbed her son and went to the living room, where Reno had just turned on the light.

He was wearing a coat, but it had proven useless, as he was sopping wet. Reno gave Camryn and Brendan a quick grin before running to her bathroom to undress. Camryn put the toddler down and cleaned up Reno's wet footprints, listening to Reno showering.

She went to the bathroom, and asked, "You hungry, babe? I can fix you a snack if you want one." Reno poked his head out, "Nah, it's OK, I'm just really fucking cold. I always forget to buy a goddamn umbrella."

Brendan tugged at her leg, and she picked him up, grinning, "Yeah, that makes two of us. Want me to make you some coffee with milk?" Reno turned the shower off, began toweling himself dry, "Yeah, some coffee would be good. 'Sup, Bren?" Brendan gave Reno a scared smile, wiggling his little fingers, "Hi . . ."

Camryn went to the kitchen to try and fix coffee while holding Brendan. Reno, who'd gone into her room to put on some boxers and pajama bottoms, heard her muttering in an annoyed voice, "Bren, sweetheart, I _have _to let go . . ." He also heard Brendan's protesting cry, and headed out there to help her out.

"Here, gimme Bren," he suggested, holding out his arms. Brendan went willingly enough, and Reno waited till Camryn had turned around to squeeze Brendan tightly.

As they drank their coffee a few minutes later, always nervously flinching when the thunder was too loud, Reno asked, "Is this storm creepy enough for you?" Camryn widened her eyes, "Just about. How do you people get used to this? It's terrible! Everything's wet and noisy, and then I have to lug this guy around," she gestured at Brendan, who was drinking warm milk in place of coffee.

"Too bad, Cam," Reno commiserated, "You should've seen me during my first storm up here. I unplugged every single appliance in the apartment, 'cause I thought lightning would come through them and fry me into a neat little crisp."

Camryn snickered, "Sounds feasible enough. C'mon, let's try and get some sleep." She filled their mugs (and Brendan's bottle) with water, and all headed to the bedroom. The moment Camryn lay down, Reno curled up behind her, and Brendan snuggled himself against her chest.

She felt both of them flinch at a particularly loud crack of thunder. Brendan had an excuse: he was a baby, and this was his first thunderstorm. But Reno . . . She teased, "Oooh, the great, mighty Reno, afraid of thunder!" He replied indignantly, "Am not!"

Too bad his retort was muffled against the back of her head, where Reno had dug his head in to escape the flashes of lightning.

Camryn snickered, and adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. They all shut their eyes tight against the flashes, and all flinched at the resounding booms, the adults laughing nervously and teasing, "You're such a pansy." "Look who's talking, chicken-wuss."

Eventually, the thunder abated, sounding further off, and they slept comfortably.

* * *

Early the next morning, Reno woke up a few minutes before the alarm clock went off. He stretched, yawned, and found himself with a mouthful of Camryn's hair. He spat it out and sat up in bed.

It was going to be a very cold day. He'd heard it reported yesterday at ShinRa Tower as the most severe cold snap in the last decade. Reno's skin was already pricking up in gooseflesh, and he knew Camryn's apartment was much warmer than outside.

He got up, not really wanting to. All he really wanted to do was go back to sleep, but there had been some problems up in Icicle Village. Something about two high-ranking SOLDIERs disappearing.

Not that he gave a shit.

Thing was, with Sephiroth and Zack off on another mission, Reno knew a Turk or two would have to be sent to Icicle. He grinned, remembering Miyuki's and Rude's severe aversion to cold. Both of them were originally from sub-tropical countries, Miyuki from Wutai and Rude from Mideel.

Rude hated the cold, but if he had to, he would sit in a snowdrift to complete his job. Miyuki was another story. Rumor had it she'd actually marched into a target's home and killed the poor man, who'd been hosting a festive banquet, rather than wait outside in the snow and snipe her target, as she was supposed to.

When Reno asked her if the rumor was true, Miyuki had neither confirmed nor denied it. She'd ignored him, but he heard her muttering, "Sipping mulled wine, sitting in front of a fire . . . and me up to my fucking tits in snow . . ."

Then Reno sobered. He might not give a rat's ass about them, but two high-ranking SOLDIERs disappearing was a big deal. It just didn't happen. Ever. Not one, and sure as hell not two. Especially in such a quiet little part of Icicle Village.

Reno himself had only been to Icicle Village once. He'd liked it, being used to the chilly Sector 3 slums as he was. A beautiful, ski-resort type of place, Icicle Village was home to what seemed to be the most peaceful people on the Planet.

When he'd found out who the missing SOLDIERs were, Reno made a contemptuous sound. Yishay and Sebastian were two of the SOLDIERs who'd made it difficult for Tseng and Rude to help him when Sephiroth had him impaled against the wall with Masamune.

"_He had me pinned like a fucking bug, and those two assholes wouldn't let Tseng and Rude through 'cause they hate Turks,_" Reno thought darkly, "_All I know is that I hope they don't send Miyuki or Zack out for them. Yuki is cold-phobic, and Zack's just a cool guy._" For a SOLDIER, at least. Reno also knew it had been Zack who'd let Rude and Tseng in to help him, and as far as SOLDIERs went, Zack was actually a fun person, making jokes and teasing the MPs.

Camryn was stirring. Reno muttered, "Clock hasn't rung yet, you can still sleep a few minutes." She yawned widely and snuggled Brendan closer to herself. Reno went to brush his teeth, still mulling the disappearances.

* * *

Several hours later, Miyuki's hands shook minutely as she pretended everything was fine between her and her employer. Truth was, nothing was OK.

She didn't trust Vice-President Rufus ShinRa anymore.

He'd been acting strangely recently, wanting to be by himself for longer stretches of time. The previous afternoon, Miyuki had allowed him to 'escape' her guard, and followed, always at a distance. She'd caught him meeting with some unsavory types.

"_If I didn't know any better, I'd say he's on drugs or something,_" she thought, watching the Vice-President look around suspiciously before going with those people into a dark building.

She'd waited for a few minutes, debating whether to go in there and look for him, or call for backup in case there were more of them inside, when the Vice-President came out, looking unharmed.

That same evening, two SOLDIERs stationed out in Icicle Village had disappeared. It was a clean job. There wasn't much evidence of a hard fight, which meant that the SOLDIERs were quickly overwhelmed.

"_Those fucker's can bench-press a fucking car. What could take them down in a hurry? How'd the kidnappers know how to take down a SOLDIER? They had help . . ._" Miyuki thought, carefully following the Vice-President as he asked for her to accompany her for a short trip to Wutai.

"_AVALANCHE had insider help_ . . ." Miyuki thought miserably, not daring to fully investigate Vice-President ShinRa's personal email and phone records. Neither did she dare tell Tseng, because Tseng would investigate, and if she was wrong, there was no telling what he'd do to her, drawing his attention away from AVALANCHE.

If she was right, and it was Rufus feeding the terrorists the information, there was no telling what the Administration would do to her, because the first rule of most of the executives was to cover their own asses. If Vice-President ShinRa was involved, there would probably be other high-ranking executives involved.

And nosy Turks had a tendency to disappear.

That, or "_be given to Hojo as fucking pets_," Miyuki remembered a file she'd encountered years ago, describing one Vincent Valentine, an ex-Turk whose last reported appearance had been providing protection duty at Hojo's hidden laboratory at Nibelheim.

Apparently, he'd asked the wrong questions, and vanished without a trace. That had been nearly thirty years ago, but-

"Are you alright, Miyuki?" the Vice-President's voice called her out of her reverie. She shook her head, as if to clear it, and gave the Vice-President a quick smile. "I'm fine, sir." He regarded her coolly, tilting his head to the side.

Miyuki recognized with a faint start he was studying her, to see if she lied or told the truth. This young man had been practically raised by Turks, more specifically by Tseng, and Miyuki knew, "_Tseng's probably the best motherfucking Turk out there right now. The VP could probably ace all the Turk admission tests if he really wanted to._"

"You looked pale," he finally said. Miyuki gestured at the frost-rimed windows, "I just hate the cold, sir." The Vice-President looked away from her, nodding, "I know. I'm not much of a fan either. Hence, we're going to warm, lovely Wutai."

He saw her nod, eyes cast downward. Rufus looked away also. He checked his watch. Those SOLDIERs had been missing for quite a while now. He hoped everything came out according to plan.

He didn't really know why he was doing this, giving AVALANCHE insider tips on Mako reactors and SOLDIERs, supplying them with money with which to buy arms and manufacture bombs. "_All to destroy what the old man had accomplished,_" he thought.

The only thing he was sorry about was having the Turks caught in the middle. They'd been good to him, particularly Tseng, but "_I'll do anything necessary to achieve what I want, even if it means giving them the Turks,_" Rufus thought grimly.

He caught Miyuki looking at him strangely, her dark, dark eyes darting to the floor the moment he caught them. Her long, lovely mouth was drawn in a tight line. For the briefest instance, a dark part of Rufus coldly recommended, "_She suspects something. Get rid of her._" Another, opposing part of him suggested, "_Maybe she really does hate the cold, you've heard the rumors. Besides, how would she know? And how are you planning to get rid of a Turk?_"

He didn't know the answers to those questions. Moreover, he wasn't really interested in possible answers at the moment. All he knew was, that breaking his pattern, asking her questions, trying to draw answers from her, all would attract more attention than he could deal with at the moment.

Also, he liked Miyuki.

He liked her a lot.

More and more often, he found himself thinking of her, of her dark eyes, her beautiful hair. That obscenely sexy little mole beside her mouth. He knew he could never hope to romance a Turk, but his father had bedded enough female ShinRa employees to prove that, finding himself in a position of power, a man could get away with a lot.

Rufus gave Miyuki a brilliant, well-practiced, and ultimately, freezing cold smile, "So, are we going to Wutai, or not?

As it turned out, they wouldn't be going. Miyuki had called in for a chopper, and the people in charge told her the President wanted to see his son. She'd told Vice-President ShinRa, who seemed to have actually been expecting this unforeseen change in plans.

Miyuki's suspicions were stronger than ever.

Apparently, the Turk they'd sent out to investigate on the SOLDIERs disappearance had reported back about the presence of some type of underground AVALANCHE base. President ShinRa's orders were clear, "I don't care what they have to do; I want that base destroyed at any cost."

* * *

A/N: Hey, guys! So, I hope you liked it.

I can totally see Miyuki yelling something like that, just to break up the tense atmosphere. I also hope I managed to catch the underlying sense of unease she's developing because of her suspecting Rufus of foul play. Rufus, at this point in the game, seems to be torn between his hatred towards his dad, and his wanting to show everyone he can step out of his father's shadow. He really does seem to like the Turks, or at least get along with them, but anything for his goals. And yeah, he's kinda into Miyuki.

As for Cammy and Bren's first thunderstorm, this goes back to something my brother and I talked about while playing the game when it first came out. We were all like, 'They have no sunlight down in the slums! (Excepting Aeris's house, of course)'. Also, at the end of the segment, I used the name 'chicken-wuss'. If anyone can tell me, you get an imaginary hug from anyone in the story, your pick. The answer will be revealed at the opening for the next xhapter! Bwa ha ha! (Evil Don Kan'onji laugh)

Please Review!!


	24. Shadows on the Horizon

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, ShinRa Electric Company or its executives, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

SPOILER WARNING!!

This chapter contains plot points for the Before Crisis game, not yet released in the US. The chapter is essentially describing the events of Episodes 7, 8 and 9 of the game, as well as detailing Vice-President Rufus ShinRa's involvement with certain peoples.

Read at your own risk, and please, _please_, **PLEASE** review!

* * *

**January 16, 0002**

The mission had been unsuccessful. There had been major casualties for the ShinRa armed forces. Two First Class SOLDIERs, several MPs, all dead because so far, everything pointed at AVALANCHE having known what to expect.

Veld was at a loss. He knew there was an informant, it was just a matter of finding out who it was, and the quality of the information cut Veld's list of suspects nearly in half. All the people in said list of suspects had upper managements and executive level information clearances.

In short, powerful people. Veld knew the informant had to be apprehended, before they sustained any more losses. He took a deep, cleansing breath as he stood in the President's office. He glanced at the Vice-President, who looked aloof, Dark Nation prowling around.

Before Veld could say anything, Vice-President ShinRa spoke, "It looks like this mission was a failure too, President." The older man merely grunted. The Vice-President continued, "SOLDIER members getting kidnapped without any resistance… soldiers dropping like flies. It's all too clear now that someone's leaking information."

Veld said nothing, watching the Vice-President closely. He was on Veld's list of suspects, mainly because Miyuki had been acting so strangely lately.

The young man looked slightly put off by the older men's silence, and insisted, "Well, President? How are you going to deal with this?"

The President said in a hushed yet angry tone, "That's supposed to be Veld's job."

Veld said nothing, knowing what exactly it was that the Vice-President was trying to do. "_He's undermining me, making it my fault. I'll be taken off the case and the Turks will fall under Heidegger's command. They'll be aimless . . . I'm so sorry, guys . . ._"

President ShinRa looked apprehensively at the Turk Commander, "Unfortunately, Veld, you are released from your duties as head of the Department of Administrative Research. You're now relegated to a different department." Veld acknowledged his reassignment, nodding his head, "Yes, sir."

In the Turk lounge, chaos erupted when the rumor broke out that Veld had been taken out of the Turks. Tseng tried his best to suppress the rumor-mongering, but the Turks were very much concerned about their boss and mentor.

Tseng looked around, wondering where the hell Miyuki and Reno were. They were supposed to be there. Tseng's attention was focused on the door, where apparently Veld was coming to address the Turks.

The moment the Turk Commander entered the lounge, the room exploded in questions. One of the rookies, a former bodyguard of Don Corneo's, burst out, "Sir! Is it true that you're leaving the Turks?"

Before Veld could answer him, Tseng furiously interjected, "Why are they dismissing you?! The outcome of the last mission had nothing to do with you!" Veld let out a weary breath, looking at all the shocked faces around him, ". . . It's what's been decided by the executive. I have no choice but to obey."

With the quiet groans of the Turks filling his ears, Veld turned towards the elevators. It had been much harder than he expected it to be, particularly Tseng's angry, disbelieving expression.

Rude caught Tseng's eyes, shook his head. He knew Tseng had trouble with his temper sometimes, and this was setting up to be one of those times.

Tseng refused to let this happen quietly, and he broke apart from the group of Turks. "Sir! Wait! What's going to happen to the Turks now?" he asked, his dark gray eyes locking on Veld's.

The older man shook his head, saying, "You're in charge now, Tseng."

He turned around and left. Tseng called out, "Sir!" Veld ignored him, and walked away.

* * *

"What is it you want to tell me, Ki-Bird?" Reno asked, sitting on the comfortable couch ShinRa had issued for the Turk Living Quarters. Miyuki closed and locked the door, and sat opposite Reno.

Reno was getting worried. Miyuki looked scared. He patted the sofa next to him, "C'mon, Yuki." She went to him, not really knowing why she'd called him. She couldn't tell him what she was so worried about without implying the suspicions she had against the Vice-President.

Reno realized she wanted to tell him something, tell him badly, but she couldn't, for some reason. Miyuki looked at him, brow creased, "I'm worried, Reno, so fucking worried it's ridiculous. I . . . can't just say yet, 'cause I'm not sure, but there's something rotten going on here . . ."

The redhead knew better that to insist, so he merely put his arm around her shoulders, rubbing his chin across the top of her head, "Shh, it's OK, Ki-Bird. What are you so worried about? AVALANCHE?"

The Wutaian nodded, and Reno could feel her slender frame shaking minutely. "_What the hell's wrong with her?_" Reno thought, gently rocking the sniper back and forth, "_She's fucking terrified._"

His PHS rang, startling them both. Before Reno could answer, Rude's voice boomed, "Reno, where the hell are you?" Reno began, "In my room, what's- " Rude interrupted, "Is Miyuki with you?" Reno assented, "Yeah, what's going-"

Rude instructed, "Both of you, get to the Turk lounge, now," and hung up. Reno relayed the strange call to Miyuki, and she looked so pale Reno asked, "Just what's the matter, Miyuki?" She shook her head, "Never mind me, Slim. C'mon, let's see what's happened now."

* * *

Miyuki left the lounge with a lot of angry swearing at the news.

The men were silent for a few minutes before another rookie, a young but very capable blonde, muttered disconsolately, "What's going to happen to us?"

Reno quietly seethed, ". . . We're under the command of one of the department heads." The blonde sighed, "Department heads . . ." Reno gave her a quick smile. He'd trained her himself, and he recognized her wariness for the executives as his own.

Miyuki came back into the room. She smelled of cigarette smoke, and gave Reno's hand a squeeze. Tseng let out a frustrated breath and looked around all the other Turks around him, "We're to follow the orders of whoever is placed in charge of us. That's all there is to it. It doesn't matter who it is."

The door banged loudly as Heidegger entered the lounge. The bearded man laughed, "Gya haa haaaa! Good. You're all here. From this day on, I'm in charge of you lot." Tseng gave him a cold look, but said nothing. Heidegger had been one of those opposed to Veld's training Tseng as the Turk's next leader.

Heidegger caught some of the resentment in Tseng's posture, and addressed him directly, "You've been nothing but trouble from the start. I'd say your old boss couldn't keep you in line."

Reno tensed at the disparaging comment against Tseng and the rest of them, and again Miyuki squeezed his hand, harder this time. Reno was quiet.

Heidegger resumed his impromptu inaugural speech, "Things will be different under my leadership. It's not for nothing I'm in charge of the Public Safety Maintenance Department."

Rude said nothing, but was thinking, "_You're only Head of Safety because you're an old friend of President ShinRa, nothing else. You are a fool._"

Heidegger took their silence for assent, and continued, "Alright. These are your orders. It appears that AVALANCHE is heading for Junon. I want all of you to patrol the city. If there's anything suspicious, let me know immediately. I'll call on the army to take over from there."

One of the rookies acknowledged, "Yes, sir." Miyuki gave him a dirty look, and it was Reno who squeezed her hand this time. Heidegger continued, "The army will take care of anything that happens in Junon, but I can't deploy them if there isn't a reason to."

Tseng remained silent, recognizing the blatant misuse Heidegger was making of them. He was actually pulling them off duty to merely patrol Junon and call the army in case anything happened.

Heidegger was enjoying this. He knew of the Turk's contempt for the executives, only truly getting along with Tuesti. He decided to jab the Turks again, and finished, "I want the troops to get out there as quickly as possible. I don't want to hear any complaining – that's all you Turks are good for, anyway. Gya haa haa!"

After Heidegger left, the room broke out in angry swearing. Tseng slipped out, unnoticed by all.

He found Veld in one of the ShinRa Tower's many control rooms. The walls were covered in several monitors, with a huge one in the middle. Veld had been watching that monitor when he heard Tseng call him.

The former Turk Commander asked, "Tseng . . . What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here." Tseng looked beseechingly at Veld, his friend and the man he'd always consider superior to himself. He argued, "I can't accept your decision. You know as well as I do that the information leak had nothing to do with you."

Veld knew Tseng wouldn't back down without a fight, and cursed the youth's sense of loyalty. He argued, "You can't deny that information is being leaked nevertheless. The Turks are entrusted with keeping the company's secrets just that – secret. In the event of a leak, it's only natural that I would be responsible."

Tseng shook his head, "I still can't accept that!"

Veld stood up straight and spoke firmly, looking at Tseng in a manner that allowed no appeals, "Tseng. Go back. I'm not your superior, and I'm not a Turk. I'm just… an observer, now." He looked away.

Tseng saw how futile it was to try and sway the former Turk Commander. The young Wutaian gestured at the big monitor. "Sir," he began, hurt that Veld wouldn't look at him when he spoke, "You can keep track of what everybody in the company is doing from that monitor. Watch over us."

Veld said nothing, and a few seconds later, heard the door latch closed. Tseng had left.

* * *

**January 31, 0002**

Reno was pissed. That much Camryn could tell from his voice on the phone.

He'd been pissed for the last two weeks, when he'd called to rant for a long time about some bearded fat bastard who was in charge of the Turks now. Camryn was beginning to worry about her friend. Reno sounded tired and angry, all the time now. He was being overworked, often calling but never able to come see her.

"Tough day?" she ventured mildly, trying to shield the phone's mouthpiece from the loud music at the HoneyBee.

Reno cursed, "The worst fucking day ever." Camryn tried to soothe him, "Are you gonna stop by tonight? I'm making-" He cut her off irritably, "I can't! I got a ton of fucking work, and everyone's running around with their thumbs jammed up their asses."

Camryn drew a deep breath, trying not to let Reno's rudeness annoy her. Reno snapped, "What the fuck are you sighing for? Am I fucking _boring_ you?" She snapped back, "I'm not sighing, dumbass, I'm trying not to let you piss me off with your bitching and moaning!" Reno yelled, "Bitching and moaning!?"

Camryn yelled back, "Yeah! Bitching and moaning like a stupid _rookie_!" Reno swore unintelligibly and hung up on her. Camryn huffed out a breath, looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had twin spots of bright color high on her cheeks. She always got flushed when fighting with Reno. So far, he was the only man who made her face go red.

She fanned herself with a piece of cardboard and eyed the phone warily, thinking, "_Any minute now_."

The phone rang again. Camryn smiled and picked up, "Ready to talk like a human being, sweetheart?"

Reno laughed, "You're a real bitch, you know that?" Camryn smiled to herself, "Hey, I got a two year old. I know how to deal with tantrums." Reno let out a quiet breath, muttering, "Yeah, I guess so . . . How is the little guy, anyway?"

Camryn listed, "He's finally found out what teeth are for, apparently. He keeps biting my legs. It's all your fault, really. He's been doing it since he saw you biting my knees last time you were here. And then he's following his mother's footsteps and absolutely refuses to let me dress him. When I dress him, he just tears everything off and runs away."

Reno laughed at the mental picture of a naked Bren frolicking around the apartment, and Camryn continued, "He's turned into a very negative little man, keeps saying 'No' for no apparent reason. Oh, and I think he's coming down with a little cold. He was coughing a bit earlier today."

Reno commiserated, "Poor guy. Get him checked out, will you? Winters up here fuck up everyone's systems. My first winter up here, I got fucking bronchitis, remember? There's a bunch of us up here in ShinRa Tower with colds." He knew Rude had a cold, and had given up on trying to convince the big man to go to the Infirmary upstairs.

Camryn made a compassionate sound, "Baby, I know how important your work is, but maybe you need to get away from it for a while. It doesn't even have to be with me. Just go out, go to the Chocobo Ranch, grab a bird and run away from the Zoloms for a while. Go to the movies. Have a one night stand with some ShinRa flunky, but just don't give me any details. I don't know, just unwind a little."

Reno groaned, "Ah, any of those ideas sound like fun, but I can't. I'm heading out to Junon later tonight, and I've got a pile of work here -how would you Costans say- _que mete miedo_."

Camryn laughed at the Costan expression, which described fear and terror. "Poor thing! Hey, it's been a while since I heard you talk Costan." Reno laughed, "Yeah, I don't get a lot of chances to practice it, though. Mostly I stick to the swear words."

Camryn tutted at him, "Potty mouth. Listen, when you get back from Junon, come on over. I'll hug you and feed you and kiss you and do all those other things you like me to do to you."

Reno cheered sarcastically, "Yay . . ."

Camryn squawked indignantly, and Reno snickered, "It's not you, doll. It's this assignment. _El Viejo Bastardo_ is gonna be in charge of this mission. If there's anything left of me after this job, I'll be sure to stop by."

She smiled, "Ooh, you'll be back. You're indestructible. After a nuclear holocaust, all that's gonna be left are rocks, rats, roaches and Reno."

Reno laughed through his nose, "You think so? Listen, Cammy, I have to go." Camryn blew him many loud kisses over the phone, "Mmm, be careful, OK? Go to Junon, whup some AVALANCHE ass, and get back to Big Momma Camryn."

Reno smiled at her noisy kisses and sweet endearments, "Sure thing, babe. I'll talk to you soon." Camryn rang off, "Bye, sugar."

The redhead hung up the phone and looked at his paperwork. There was a lot of it, as Heidegger had performed some sort of merge, fusing his own department with the Turks'. Now Reno had to complete papers about, ". . . _tax-release form for the use and maintenance of police squad cars . .? Man, what the __**FUCK**_" he thought, annoyed.

Still, not much to do. Most of the rookies had already left for Junon, to try and get their bearings in the big city. The workstations were empty except for Rude. Reno flopped down into his chair and began to work, losing himself to the mind-numbing task, until a few hours later. . .

". . . Reno. . ." came the hoarse whisper from across the workstation next to Reno's. The redhead, who'd been rubbing his tired eyes with his fists, sat up and looked at Rude. He winced, "Jeez, Rude, you OK? Well, obviously not. Why didn't you listen to me hours ago, man?"

Reno took in Rude's appearance as he walked over. Rude was pale, with an awful-sounding cough he'd refused to have looked at hours ago, claiming it was a simple cold. His eyes were bloodshot and his nose was slightly swollen from constant wiping.

Rude stoically informed Reno, "I feel like shit." Reno laughed, "Yeah, and you look the part, too." He touched Rude's sallow cheeks, made a face at the fierce heat. Mako engineering made Turks hardier than most other people, so when a bug got through, it was a killer one. He touched the sides of Rude's neck, gently feeling out the swollen lymph nodes.

He sighed, "Yup, common cold, my ass. You've got a big infection there, partner. Let's get you up to the Infirmary." Rude hesitated, and Reno threatened, "Unless you wanna pass out and have the paramedics cart you around the Turk floor strapped to a fuckin' gurney."

Rude stood up, muttering, "Smartass. . . " and followed Reno to the door, a hand on Reno's shoulder. Miyuki had been just about to come in when she noticed Rude's ashen demeanor. "Aw, shit, Rude," she said with feeling, then to Reno, "Need help lugging this big pile of humanity up to the Infirmary?"

Reno nodded, and a few minutes later, the doctor was fussing over Rude. Miyuki squeezed Rude's shoulder and told Reno, "I'll go tell _sempai_." Reno shook his head, "Nah, I'll go. Doctor's offices give me the creeps."

Miyuki smiled and sweetly said, "Pansy." Reno grinned, "Butch." Miyuki laughed, "Makes me more of a man than you, then. Get your bitch-ass upstairs and talk to Tseng!" Reno flicked the edge of her ear with his finger and ran away quickly before Miyuki could smack him.

Upstairs, Reno entered Tseng's office when the Wutaian called, "Enter," "_How does he do it?_" Reno mused, wondering how Tseng could look so professionally poised when he knew Tseng had been on the job for nearly 18 hours straight.

"_And there he is, not a single hair out of place,_" Reno thought, sitting on the edge of his desk, earning himself a pained look from Tseng. "Rude's down at the Infirmary," he deadpanned, "Remember his little cold? It's more like a kickass bronchitis or something."

Tseng looked contemplative. Reno noticed his bloodshot eyes, his pale face, signs of weariness like cracks in a glazed vase. Reno could finally see past the polished exterior, see just how tired Tseng was. The redhead pushed off the desk and went to the small coffee maker Tseng had just next to the door. He poured himself half a cup, bolted it down in a single gulp, and filled it up again.

He gave it to Tseng, who murmured, "Thanks. . ." Reno went on, "Yuki helped me get him taken care of, but rather than just the cold, some of it has to be over-exertion. C'mon, Tseng, how long are we going to be run ragged by Heidegger?"

Tseng sighed, "I don't know, Reno. Rude's been here working for about 14 hours. I've been here for 18, you for-" Reno supplied, "14, just like Rude." He sighed noisily as Tseng swallowed his coffee and organized his papers to go see Rude, "I just wish Veld would come back, man."

The Turk leader narrowed his eyes at Reno as he made his way to the door, "It's not as if he's intentionally keeping away, Reno." Reno put his palms up in a warding-off gesture, "Don't get mad, Tseng. I'm just saying . . . Heidegger's not suited for this. He's wasting us on this."

He laughed when Tseng crossly muttered, "There is very little Heidegger's good for here with the Turks, Reno."

Miyuki helped Rude get ready for the doctor's examination. She took his shades, jacket and tie, and watched as the doctor measured his blood pressure and temperature. Then the doctor took out a big needle, explaining, "He needs some chest X-Rays. I've called Radiology, but while they get ready, I'm going to draw a few samples and give him a couple of shots."

Miyuki remembered how Rude used to intimidate her, frighten her. He'd been one of the first faces she'd grown acquainted with when she first began working as a Turk. Up until recently, she'd still been slightly afraid of the quiet Rude. If not for Reno, who'd taken her out for drinks with Rude, Miyuki would never had known Rude for what he was; a gentle, kind person who enjoyed his job and was fiercely devoted to Tseng and Veld.

She sighed and rolled Rude's shirt sleeve up. The doctor drew his blood sample, then gestured at Rude's pants, "Now for the shots." Rude looked tired and miserable, and feebly tried to undo his pants. Miyuki made an exasperated sound and batted his hands away, "C'mon, big guy, would it kill you to let us help?"

Miyuki undid his pants, flushing slightly at the close contact, and helped pull his pants down a bit. Then Miyuki winced when the doctor plunged the needle into Rude's butt. Miyuki glared at him, saying in a cross voice, "Give him some fucking warning, will ya?"

She was about to let Rude lay on his back when the doctor timidly asked, "Not yet, there's one more." Miyuki gave him a very dirty look when he jabbed another needle into her friend, again, sans warning. The doctor cleared his throat nervously, trying to boost himself, "It has to be done, you know . . ."

Then, no sooner had Rude finally rolled onto his back than the doctor fumbled with a bag of IV solution, muttering, " . . . onto the IV . . ." Miyuki glared at him, "He's not dehydrated." The doctor said, "He's not, now. But this will help stabilize him-" Miyuki narrowed her eyes murderously at him and quietly said, "Not now."

The doctor stammered, "R-Right! I'll go check those Radiology people now!" and basically ran away.

Miyuki drew the curtain around the bed, and sat on the edge, looking at Rude. He looked away, not liking for his friends to see him weakened like this. Miyuki tilted her head, "C'mon, big guy. It's OK. Everyone needs help once in a while."

He wouldn't look at her. She grinned, "Nice butt, by the way. Simply amazing!" He let out a breath in what might have been a laugh. Miyuki fondly stroked his smooth, bald head, whispering "There you go. . ."

* * *

A/N: 'Sup, you guys? Sorry for the long wait.

As mentioned previously, since now I'm using data from the Before Crisis translations Dark Angel is kind enough to lend me, now I'm using dates. All the dialogues and situations up until when Reno calls Camryn is from the game. I've sort of novelized it into the fic, adding what background I've created and fitting it in with what the translations give me.

Yes, Heidegger really is in charge of the Turks for a while in Before Crisis. He's such a pain in the ass . . . Hence, Reno's tetchiness!

I really liked how that phone call between Reno and Cam went, how Cam goes around an angry Reno to make him laugh again. Also, I made Rude out to get sick as kind of a revenge on all the "Reno-got-sick-someone-save-the-poor-guy" fics you find around.

Not that I have anything against them; some are actually quite good.

But there's not enough of Rude as a normal, vulnerable human! It's like, by virtue of being quiet, he's some sort of android or something!

As for Miyuki checking out his butt . . . I love Miyuki! She's such a horn-dog! She's like some sort of female Reno! Maybe that's why she's not attracted to our dear redhead.


	25. ShinRa versus Itself

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, ShinRa Electric Company or its executives, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

SPOILER WARNING!!

This chapter contains plot points for the Before Crisis game, not yet released in the US. The chapter is essentially describing the events of Episodes 9 of the game, as well as detailing Vice-President Rufus ShinRa's involvement with certain peoples. Again, I'm using the awesome translation/transcriptions from Gunshot Romance.

Read at your own risk, and please review!

* * *

_**February 1, 0002**_

Reno walked around L-Junon, how Turks referred to the Northern side of Junon. He yawned widely. Rude had gotten out of the Infirmary early that morning, the powerful Restore magic and the Mako engineering doing their job to have the veteran Turk on his feet in a short amount of time.

Then, Reno, Rude, Tseng and Miyuki had embarked to Junon, where Heidegger ranted at them for being late. He'd given them menial tasks, always telling them to warn him if AVALANCHE made a move, so he could send in the army. He was wasting the Turks' expertise, training and time, and there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Before Miyuki could yell at Heidegger, Tseng issued her a different set of orders; the sniper was to go down into the anti-ShinRa village below, pose as a harmless woman traveling alone, and find out what she could about AVALANCHE.

Reno wished he'd been as lucky. Upper Junon was very ShinRa friendly, and Reno could remember having spent good times here in other, previous missions. He really wanted Heidegger to change his orders, to let him and the rest of the Turks do something more worthwhile. "_He's gonna have us giving traffic, at the pace we're going . . ._" Reno thought bitterly.

His PHS rang. He answered quickly, "Reno here. I'm in L-Junon." Heidegger simply rehashed his previous orders, "Patrol the area. That's all I want you do to." Reno stammered angrily, "Wai – Is that it?"

Heidegger had looked through Reno's file. He had also been leery of the idea of letting Veld hire the ex-gang leader, thinking of Reno as anyone would think of a stray, rabid dog. Violent, unpredictable.

He knew Reno had shown some attitude problems early on, but had apparently fit in well with the Turks. "_Never mind that,_" Heidegger thought, "_It's because Veld lets them do whatever they want._" He thought he'd heard some of that attitude problem in the Turk's tone. He sharply asked, "What? Do you have a problem?"

Reno sighed, not wanting to land himself in hot water with Heidegger and cause Tseng any more grief, "Nothing in particular."

Heidegger sniffed in a superior manner, as if saying "_I thought so,_" and again rehashed the orders, "If there's any trouble, call me immediately so I can release the troops. Gya haa haa!"

Reno hung up, thinking, "_Oh, jeez. This guy can't be serious._"

Somewhere else, Rude silently nodded at one of the ladies working one of the shops. Reno often teased her and her friends, about how they were walking advertisements for the store, eye-candy to draw in customers. The girl waved at Rude, smiling, and asked him, "You guys here for fun, or on business?"

Rude answered, "Business." The young woman tied her hair back, sighing, "Ah, that's too bad. You guys be careful, OK? Something fishy's going on here. Anyway, I have to go work. Or as Reno put it, gotta go make googly eyes at the customers." Rude smiled as she waved again and went inside the building.

His PHS rang. Rude reached for it quickly, hoping it might be Tseng with some good news, or possibly even Veld himself. A quick glance at the display and Rude muttered, "Heidegger. . . " He answered, "This is Rude. I've reached R-Junon." Heidegger grunted approval, "You stay there and patrol the area."

Rude was silent. Heidegger knew about the tall man's impeccable record. He knew Rude was a good, dependable worker who obeyed the rules, but why did he show such hesitance to obey now? Heidegger shouted, "Hey! Can you hear me?!"

Rude jumped a bit at the unexpected shout, and acknowledged in a tight voice, "I can hear you." Heidegger ordered, "Call me if you find anything suspicious." Rude replied, ". . . yes, sir. . ."

In a Junon back alley, Tseng was silently fuming. He thought, "_This whole situation is bullshit. If only Heidegger would allow me to coordinate the Turks, it would be a more worthwhile use of our talents._" His PHS rang, and like Rude, Tseng had a brief flare of hope that it would be Veld, or at the very least, a change of orders.

He answered, "This is Tseng." Heidegger ordered in a stiff tone, "I want you to patrol the area around the Junon branch office. If you find anything, call me." Tseng suppressed a sudden urge to yell at Heidegger, but instead managed, ". . . Understood."

In the village below, Miyuki saw something strange. Strange boats in the harbour, strange people in the village. Speaking in broken, accented and very touristy Midgar dialect, Miyuki asked a little girl in the seashore about the dolphin. As the girl happily demonstrated her well-trained dolphin, Miyuki clapped and cheered delightedly while keeping an eye on the boats.

"_There! You saw that?!_" she thought as she saw a man in an AVALANCHE jumpsuit strolling one of the boats' deck. The boats began to move, and Miyuki saw a whole troop of AVALANCHE flunkies appear on deck.

"_Gotta tell the guys_. . ." she knew. She loudly told the girl, "Very good, very good, nice girl, lovely dolphin, here, for you!" Miyuki gave the girl a shiny glass bauble and left, reaching for her PHS.

She called Tseng, who quickly asked her, "What's wrong? Did you find anything out?" Miyuki explained in rapid Wutaian, so as to not be understood by any eavesdroppers, "_Sempai_, there's a shitload of boats down here, AVALANCHE boats. They're getting ready to go up there, fuck if I know how!" Tseng swore, and asked her, "What are they looking for?" Miyuki shook her head, "I don't know, Tseng. I'll find out." Tseng finished in Wutaian as well, "Do whatever you have to, Miyuki."

A short while later, at L-Junon, Reno was shocked to find AVALANCHE members strolling the streets all of a sudden. There were too many to take on, and he ran for it, stopping only to answer his ringing PHS. It was one of the rookies, the one he'd captured, actually.

Reno answered, "Johnnie. What's wrong?" Johnnie seemed to be barely restraining his fear as he explained, "Reno! AVALANCHE is at the docks! I need backup." Reno swore under his breath, and said, "I'd love to help, but… I can't right now. AVALANCHE has penetrated L-Junon too."

Johnnie gasped, "They're already in the city?!" Reno was about to say something when he heard something. It was AVALANCHE operatives. They'd spotted him and were giving chase. He told the rookie, "They're here! This isn't good. Johnnie, I'll talk to you later."

Meanwhile, Tseng ran into an alley, deeply disturbed by the sheer amount of AVALANCHE operatives running around what was ShinRa Company's second strongest city. He called Veld's personal PHS number, prepared to plead for himself and his people, "Veld, sir! You can see what's happening here in Junon from the monitor room, can't you? AVALANCHE has overrun the city."

Veld was silent. He had indeed been watching the events unfold, with an ever increasing feeling of unease as he saw his normally coordinated and cohesive Turks scrambling around the city, leaderless, as Heidegger had also stripped Tseng of his authority.

Tseng persisted, "What do you suggest we do, sir?" Veld let out a weary sigh, "Tseng. I told you, I'm not a Turk anymore. That's something you should be asking Heidegger." He heard Tseng swear under his breath, clearly very agitated and frustrated, "But all Heidegger wants to do is play with his troops! They won't be any good in the current situation."

The Wutaian's spine suddenly stiffened as he heard the phone click. He tried, "Sir!" No answer. "Damn . . . he hung up. . ." Just then, one of the terrorists found Tseng. He attacked the Turk, who quickly took down his opponent. It had been a while since he was active in the field, and Tseng welcomed the chance to vent his frustrations on the terrorists.

Once Tseng was finished, he called Miyuki. "Found anything out?" he asked, to which Miyuki replied, "I'm kinda in the middle of something, _sempai_. Hold on." Tseng heard a blow land and a man scream, "You bitch! You fucking ShinRa traitor!" Miyuki didn't reply, but suddenly Tseng heard shriller, louder screams form the man. Screams of pain.

The man gibbered, "Aaah! Stop! Stop! We're after the planes and- and- oh, god it hurts, stop it! The airships! The airships! Please, don't, don't-" Tseng heard a loud snap, and Miyuki went back on the phone. "There you have it, _sempai_."

Reno took down one of the invading terrorists, but was attacked by his two companions. He staggered, looking around for any options. He was cornered. With a loud yell, he attacked his opponents and in a few minutes, the coast was clear. Reno panted slightly, angry at Veld, at Heidegger, at Tseng, at himself.

Veld, for leaving them hanging like this. Now, Reno knew Veld had been stripped of his command, but that didn't stop him from feeling angry. Tseng, for not appealing to the executives to get Veld reinstated. At himself, for following orders and getting himself caught in this situation. And Heidegger . . . "What the hell is this?" The redhead muttered angrily, "That asshole! What is he thinking, leaving it 'til it got like this?"

He started running again, not really knowing where, but was intercepted by yet more AVALANCHE operatives. Reno used his speed and their surprise to his advantage and took one down quickly, but suddenly more of them appeared, making the fight 4 against 1. Reno muttered, "Fuck _this _shit," under his breath, and decided he was better off retreating and trying to figure out some strategy.

Elsewhere, Rude could only wish he could escape and think up a strategy. He was surrounded by 7 AVALANCHE troops. The previous night, when he'd been nearly unconscious with bronchitis, seemed positively fun compared to this.

Down below, Miyuki called MPs to dispose of the dead AVALANCHE member she'd interrogated, and tried to find a way to the airbase above. The people, who'd so far believed her to be a slightly batty tourist with a funny-shaped guitar case, got out of her way quickly when she came out of the abandoned shed with blood on her hands and clothes, a sniper rifle slung around her shoulder.

Meanwhile, up at said airbase, an AVALANCHE leader gave his crew orders. The invaders acknowledged and left to carry the orders out. One of them staid behind. He glanced around to check if the coast was clear, then reached up and took off his helmet.

It was Tseng.

He'd found a lone AVALANCHE operative standing guard behind a communications building. He'd used stealth and speed to kill the man silently, and stole his AVALANCHE uniform, to try and infiltrate their ranks and find out more about their plans. While he didn't find out any more than what Miyuki told him, he did find out a few distressing facts.

He called in with Heidegger, who gruffly asked, "What's your situation?" Tseng replied, "They've overrun the city." Heidegger made a surprised sound, and Tseng ignored the flare of anger at the executive's acting as if he hadn't expected this. Heidegger loudly said, "What did you say?! Then it's time to bring out the army!"

He laughed that ugly, braying laugh of his. Tseng gritted his teeth and tried to rationalize, "Wait a minute. Bringing out the army at this juncture is too risky. The city will be destroyed." Heidegger snorted laughter through his nose, "So we'll rebuild. All you and your Turks have to do is distract them until the troops arrive."

Tseng stammered in disbelief and frustration, "Sir! What should we… We can't coordinate if you don't tell us what you're trying to do! If -" He heard a click. Tseng let out a breath slowly, and then left towards one of the entrances to the actual airport.

* * *

From his place at the surveillance room, Veld watched his Turks flounder. All their training, their talents, all going to waste. He saw Reno be struck repeatedly as he struggled against many operatives at once. He saw Rude take two of them down, but saw weariness etched in his face, his posture. He saw a few of the rookies flailing badly, their inexperience showing in the way some got lost in the big city, while others lost fights, sustaining wounds and having to retreat.

* * *

Tseng called the rookies to let them know that the Junon army was on its way, that they just needed to hold AVALANCHE up for a short while longer. Among the many protesting cries, one of the rookies mentioned AVALANCHE having known Veld was taken out of the Turks. The terrorist had gone as far as to gloat and thank Heidegger for, as he said to the rookie, "having them all running around in circles." Tseng filed away the information as completely useless at the moment. 

Miyuki had finally managed to get up on the airbase. She liked this city, had done a lot of exploring during her previous missions guarding Rufus ShinRa, who had a penthouse apartment here. Miyuki had stopped thinking like a Turk a while ago. Now she was thinking like a sniper. She had to find where the figurative nerve center for the AVALANCHE operation was. Then she had to kill that nerve center by shooting it. Literally.

* * *

At ShinRa Tower, Veld had had enough of watching his Turks get beat while Heidegger pushed them around like so many toy soldiers. He marched up into President ShinRa's penthouse office. The blonde CEO raised his blonde head to look at Veld, who spoke, "Sir. I must speak with you." 

President ShinRa acknowledged, "Veld. What is it?" Veld had already tried everything with the President, from pleading to straight up just asking for his Turks back. He hadn't wanted to get this far, not with such a powerful and dangerous man such as President ShinRa, but he just couldn't stand just watching from the sidelines anymore.

He made his final stand, "You should know better than anybody else how much classified information I'm privy to." President ShinRa's eyes widened as he recognized the threat in Veld's words. Veld continued, "If I went public with it, the company would crumble faster than the time it would take for you blink."

President ShinRa turned away from Veld, staring out the window. He looked out at the city of Midgar, a city he could claim to have built from the ground up. He addressed Veld, his tone mildly accusatory, "Are you trying to blackmail me, Veld? What do you think you would get by doing something like that?"

Veld's answer was simple, "Command of the Turks."

President ShinRa scoffed, "I didn't think you cared that much about them. I removed you from that position for your own good. This is the thanks you offer me?"

To which Veld replied, "You have nothing to worry about from me. Your top secret directive will remain safe with me even if I take up my position in the Turks again." President ShinRa warned his old companion, one for whom he held respect, "If you fail, you know what will happen. You know too much."

Veld nodded once, gravely stating, "I've always been prepared for that eventuality."

President ShinRa recognized the steely resolve in Veld's words, and shrugged, "All right. . . I understand. If that's what you really want, then I'll return you to your position in the Turks."

Veld quietly let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding, and bowed his head to the President of ShinRa Company, "Thank you, sir. I won't make you regret your decision." He walked towards the office doors when he turned back, "I'll get on the situation right away. If you could let Heidegger know what's going on."

* * *

Up in an abandoned attic of a tall building, Miyuki lay on her stomach, making minute adjustments to her rifle as she propped it up on two small leg-like projections she set up. She'd found a ship in the harbour from which very few AVALANCHE soldiers disembarked. She knew from experience that the only ones who staid behind in any major battle were the leaders. 

She'd found one of the nerve centers.

Miyuki drew a deep breath, not knowing she was smiling to herself. She deeply enjoyed the sensation of being on a hunt. It was a game of cat and mouse, in which she was determined to be, ". . . _the meanest fucking feline these mice will ever know _. . ." she thought, teeth bared in a grin as she took her first shot.

In different locations all over Junon, four Turks' PHS rang at the same time. Tseng gaped openly at his. It was Veld, putting in a group call to Tseng, Rude, Reno and one of the rookies, Roark.

Veld began, "All of you, I want you to listen to me carefully. I have resumed leadership of the Turks. From now on you will take your orders from me." Tseng had two false starts before managing, "Sir! You're back." The older man smiled at the obvious relief in Tseng's voice, but gruffly said, "This is no time to be sentimental. Our first priority is dealing with the situation at Junon."

Tseng smiled to himself at the mild rebuke, and acknowledged, "Yes, sir." Veld issued his new orders, "Tseng. We're lacking any useful information on the terrorists. We don't know what their next move may be. Keep an eye on their movements. Find out as much as you can." As Tseng agreed to his orders, Veld called, "Reno!"

The redhead stifled his relief at having Veld back, managing an indifferent, "Yeah." Still, it wasn't for nothing that Veld was Turk Commander. He knew the Turks were glad to have him back. He gave Reno his new directions, "Head for the control tower. Get the situation at the airport under control. I'm counting on you to get there as fast as you can." Reno grinned, glad at finally having some focus to this disorganized mission, "I'm on my way, boss."

Veld called for Rude next, and told the quiet Turk, "Rude, you're Reno's advance guard. Clear the way to the tower for him. Work as a team." Rude could just imagine Reno smirking his silly ass off, and nodded, "Yes, sir."

Finally, Veld ordered Roarke to deal with the AVALANCHE operatives that had just gotten to the airship landing area. He rang off with this small group of Turks, preparing to call Miyuki and several other of the newer Turks.

Miyuki was eerily silent, smiling all the time in the dark, dusty attic. She was having fun. She timed and aimed her shots so that they hit her targets slightly off-center. This made them spin as the slug tore through bone and flesh. This confused the terrorists as to where the shots were coming from.

And since her rifle was mostly silenced, the terrorists came streaming out onto the deck when the first one fell. Miyuki let out a small laugh, ". . . easy pickings . . ." When her PHS rang, she ignored it, not willing to give Heidegger or Tseng the chance to ruin her fun by changing her orders. When it kept ringing, Miyuki growled at it and threw it away, satisfied when she heard it splinter and break. Finally, blessed silence. She took another shot. And another. And another.

A mere three hours after Veld resumed command, the terrorist situation had been broken up. Tseng had taken a leaf out of Miyuki's book, and gathered information about AVALANCHE and their new SOLDIER prototypes, the Ravens. Rude had, as ordered, taken down anyone and everyone between himself and the airport control tower, allowing Reno to quickly gain access. Once there, Reno had used stealth and the information Tseng got him to disarm and trap the intruders.

The three senior Turks met up as Reno made his way out of the control tower. Tseng looked Reno and Rude over, decided they were fine. He asked anyway, "Are both of you OK?" Rude nodded, cracking his knuckles. Reno drawled, "I'm better than ever, boss. Could use a nice, cold drink, though."

One of the rookies, a blonde young woman who'd impressed Tseng with an impeccable record and excellent handgun skills, rushed towards them, looking relieved as she sighed, "You're all safe!" Tseng congratulated her, as well as Reno and Rude, "Good job." They all acknowledged the short yet meaningful compliment. Rude drew a deep breath, looking at the city around them, "We've managed to protect Junon."

Reno looked at the battered rookie and smirked, "I thought for a moment there that we were goners." Tseng nodded, "We succeeded because Veld was there for us."

At that moment, Tseng's PHS rang. He gestured with it, muttering, "Speaking of which . . ." Tseng put the call through speakerphone, so all could hear Veld as he complimented them as well, "You've all done admirably. I would have expected nothing less from you."

Tseng smiled, looking tired but happier than he had all day, "Yes, sir."

After a short conversation, Tseng closed his PHS. He nodded at his Turks, "All right. Let's return to headquarters. Veld's waiting for us."

Just then, they heard a noise close behind them. They all turned and saw Miyuki, who smiled cheerily, holding her battered PHS in her hand. Tseng frowned at her, saying in Wutaian, "Had an accident?" Miyuki shrugged and replied in Wutaian as well, "Comes with the job."

Rude arched an eyebrow. The rookie looked confused. Reno, meanwhile, snickered, "Ooh, Yuki, you went all psycho, didn't you?"

Meanwhile, back in President ShinRa's office, the President asked the Turk Commander, "Veld. That thing I told you to look into… what have you got to report?"

Veld shook his head, "Sir. We haven't made any progress." President ShinRa sighed quietly, "Who's leaking information out of the company . .?"

Veld knew the subject could turn things sour for all those involved. He said it nonetheless, "The list of candidates is small; it is information only the executive can get a hold of . . ." President ShinRa looked pensive for a moment, muttering under his breath, "Maybe Hojo . . ? He's got access to a lot of important data pertaining to SOLDIER."

Veld said nothing to incriminate anyone, wanting nothing to do with incriminating someone who might be innocent. In spite of that, though, he filed that information away, thinking, "_If Hojo is the one behind this, it would certainly explain the exponential increase in the strength of AVALANCHE's forces . . . I should keep an eye on him_."

Reno, Rude and Miyuki sat in Tseng's hotel room, where they'd been so far unsuccessfully trying to get Tseng to join them in having a few celebratory drinks. "C'mon, Tseng! You'll have all day tomorrow to go up to Veld and hug him, or whatever you want to do to him for coming back," Reno tried to convince Tseng.

Rude added, "The rookies have all gone up to Midgar already, it's just us left. Veld would want us to have fun." Miyuki finished, "And even if he didn't, we fucking deserve a night out on town for carrying out today's mission!" Tseng looked uncertain, and all three Turks knew he was about to tip in their favor. Finally, the long-awaited smile on Tseng's face as he nodded, "Let's go then."

* * *

A/N: Yeah! Drunken Tseng!! Check out next chapter for some drunken Turk action. 

But seriously, most of this chapter is a novelization of sorts of Chapter 9 of Before Crisis. I took the dialogue transcriptions prepared by Dark Angel at Gunshot Romance page, and adapted it to my fic.

For Miyuki's part in the chapter, I asked my brother, who's actually training to be a sniper for the United States National Guard. He gave me some of the details on how to hit bodies so as to give the sniper a bit more of an advantage. In my brother's own words, "If the people getting shot at don't know where the shots are coming from, how can they shoot back?"

As always, please review.


	26. Relief?

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, ShinRa Electric Company or its executives, Midgar or its slums, only my OCs.

DRUNKENNESS WARNING!!

This chapter contains hilarious drunken Turks, coworker booty and Pirates. I'm not kidding. Some of the inspiration for this was an actual experience I had when having a few drinks (OK, maybe a _lot _of drinks) with a bunch of friends of mine. We talked some of the most insane, ridiculous bullshit _ever_!

Read at your own risk, and please review!

* * *

Tseng finally allowed the younger Turks to all but drag him out for drinks.

He'd wanted to call it in, just to let Veld know in case of any emergency.

The other Turks wouldn't let him, claiming that even if there were an emergency, they'd be way too fucked up to respond.

Reno and Miyuki were excited, knowing from precious little experience that, once Tseng cut loose, he could out-party Reno and Miyuki themselves. Or so Rude had told them, from their days as Turk trainees.

After about three hours of barhopping, the Turks settled on a quiet, hidden bar the rookies hadn't found out yet. Only the more experienced Turks went there. Reno and Miyuki themselves had never been there, but Rude had asked Tseng, "Think they're ready?" to which Tseng replied, after studying them carefully, "Yes, I think they are." The first thing they saw upon entering was The Legend, a Turk Reno and Miyuki had only ever read about.

He seemed to be good friends with Tseng and Rude, shaking their hands and expressing his deepest regrets that he was about to embark on a mission up in Nibelheim, and couldn't join them for the night.

Reno and Miyuki were deeply envious, feeling like novices when they felt they were already quite seasoned Turks.

After The Legend left, all four of them settled in a dark little booth in a corner. The music was good, the drinks were excellent, and the atmosphere was relaxed and casual. Sometimes they talked animatedly, sometimes they split into two little groups, shifting the combination every once in a while. Sometimes Miyuki talked in rapid Wutaian with Tseng. Sometimes Reno talked to Rude about Melee fighting against Martial Arts fighting and whether or not they were the same. Sometimes Tseng talked to Reno while Miyuki tried to chat Rude up.

Once Reno asked, to no one in particular, "Who do you think is cooler, Ninjas or Samurais?" Miyuki and Tseng had both promptly replied, "Pirates." They'd looked at each other, and laughed so uproariously other patrons looked their way. Reno looked at Rude, making a face, "I don't get it." Rude shrugged, "Neither do I."

Tseng and Miyuki finally calmed down, Tseng snickering as he whimpered, "_Ite, ite_," Miyuki grinned, "Yeah, your ribs ache, 'cause you're laughing now what you haven't laughed all year, _sempai_." He looked at her, "You think?" Miyuki nodded. Tseng bent over the table and kissed Miyuki, smack in the middle of the forehead before slumping down in his chair.

After a few seconds' silence, his voice drifted eerily from across the darkest side of the table, "The wisdom of Da Chao is evident in this wayward child."

Silence so thick it could be sliced.

Then Miyuki laughed so hard she had a coughing fit, Reno pounding her on the back. Rude shook his head at the tittering Tseng, who toasted Rude with his drink, "_Rudo! Kakkoi!_" Reno loudly called, "Let's play table football!" Rude nodded, asking, "How are we splitting up?" Tseng suggested, "Fuck interracial relations. I want Miyuki with me." So that's how the game began, Wutaians on one side, and Reno and Rude on the other.

Tseng and Miyuki talked strategy in Wutaian.

"Cheaters!" Reno hissed, "Heathens!" Tseng made an out-of-character but decidedly impolite gesture at Reno.

After a few games of table football, they gave up. Nobody had been keeping score, and everyone suspected Miyuki when she loudly proclaimed, "Tseng and I had 48 won games, all for the glory of Wutai!"

They all snickered, Miyuki herself admitting, "Yeah, sure. Reno! Let's go grab another round!" The two Turks stood up, and woozily made their way to the bar. Tseng looked over at Rude, "C'mon. Say it. I know you're itching to . . ." Rude smiled, "I told you you'd have a good time."

Tseng smiled back, "Yes, you did. Thanks for talking me into it." Then, he sighed, looking pensive. Rude finished his drink, thinking what Tseng's silence could mean.

Being a Turk was a crushingly hard job. External contacts were usually severed, all for the sake of the utter secrecy the job demanded. For Turks to survive, they needed to bond together, become the family they couldn't have. Rude and Tseng had both joined the Turks at nearly the exact same time. They'd undergone Mako treatments, weapons and Materia trainings together.

Before their job positions shifted apart, and Tseng laughed more, he'd joked that he and Rude had more trust and dependency on one another than most married people ever had. Rude knew few people as well as he did Tseng, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Tseng looked at him. So many things had gone wrong today. And all because of the grudges the executives had against each other. "I couldn't do anything about today, Rude," he began, "If Veld hadn't come in when he did, some of us probably wouldn't be here now."

Rude sat silently. Finally, he commented, "There was nothing you could have done, Tseng. Other than try and override Heidegger, get in a pissing contest with him. Then, you'd be, how should I say it, _forcibly retired_ from the Turks." Tseng snorted laughter through his nose, his alcohol-induced buzz making him uncharacteristically chatty.

"That's one way to put it. I guess . . ." he trailed off, looking at the returning Reno and Miyuki, ". . . I guess all I have to do is make it so I can get into a pissing contest with any of them, and still win." Rude stiffened up in his seat, "Tseng . . ." The Wutaian gave Rude a serious look before smiling faintly, "Relax, I'm not about to do anything stupid."

The two younger Turks set the drinks down, catching the heavier atmosphere. "What's going on, _sempai_?" Miyuki asked. Tseng shook his head, "Nothing, really, just pissed off about today's mission."

That set Miyuki and Reno off to angry criticisms of Heidegger, away from Tseng and his plans. Rude caught Tseng's eye, surprised at just how easily he'd manipulated the younger Turks. Tseng looked back at Rude, smiling mildly and sipping his drink as he got up.

"I'm going to call it a night, guys," he said, putting down several gil notes on the table. Reno and Miyuki protested, "Aw, c'mon, Tseng! You're not nearly drunk enough!" "_Sempai_! Don't leave, there's lots more drinkies from where these came from!" Tseng smiled at them, "It's OK. I'm plenty drunk. And I'm tired. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. We'll head back to Midgar in the afternoon, so don't abuse yourselves too much."

He left Reno and Miyuki apparently pouting. Rude teased, "Hey, hey, what's this all about? At least he got halfway smashed with us before leaving." Reno let out a breath, "Man, I wanted to see Tseng fucking dancing on the tables, or jumping one of the waitresses. He needs to unwind a bit!" Miyuki snickered, "_Sempai_, dancing on a table, oh, that's good, Reno!"

Rude shrugged, "I think I may have exaggerated the Legend of Drunken Tseng a bit. I've never seen him doing any of those things, even when we were rookies." The younger Turks grumbled, throwing small paper balls at Rude.

After another hour of drinking, all three Turks were admirably intoxicated. Reno glanced at his companions. Rude stirred his drink with a fingertip, smiling at no one in particular. Miyuki's slanted eyes were halfway closed as she bobbed her head to the music.

She felt Reno staring, and looked back at him, cocking her head back defiantly, "The fuck you lookin' at, Matchstick?" Reno was first taken aback at her hostile tone, and then had the unfortunate mental picture of himself running around with his head on fire. He started snickering, working himself up to a nice, long laugh.

Miyuki thought Reno laughing himself into a coughing fit was hilarious, and before long, both Turks howled with laughter, weakly slapping at each other to make it stop.

Reno looked at Rude, gasping for breath as he pointed a finger at Miyuki, "Rude! Rude-rude-rude-rude! Did you hear what this motherfucker called me!?" Rude nodded. Then he pointed at the jukebox, "Lemme hear that, please."

It was a very old, lovely song.

Miyuki swallowed some of her drink, muttering, "Oh, that song is _nice_, Rude!" Reno was about to say something when he froze, not entirely willing to believe what he was hearing.

Rude was humming the song.

Reno looked at Miyuki, who was grinning back at him, mouthing, "_I know!_"

Miyuki put her drink down and stood up. She grabbed Rude's hand, "C'mon, big guy, you're dancing this one with me!" After a relatively feeble fight, Rude went with her.

Reno grabbed Miyuki's pack of cigarettes, and lit one for himself, admiring as he always did Miyuki's taste in cigarettes. He drank deeply from his glass, watching two of his closest friends as they slowly revolved around the dance floor, both having a really good time.

He knew they were both loners, not really likely to reach out and make a connection with someone else. It gladdened him that they had finally gotten this comfortable with one another, as he saw Rude whisper something in Miyuki's ear, Miyuki throwing her head back and laughing.

Reno also knew enough body language to know that these two would most likely go to bed together before the night was done. It was nothing emotional, really, though Reno knew they cared for each other as partners.

He'd tease them about it tomorrow. Right now, he was pleasantly sloshed and enjoying every minute of it. He wasn't sure how many drinks later, but eventually he realized Rude and Miyuki were gone. He whistled through his teeth, grinning as he picked up Miyuki's cigarettes and Rude's sunglasses from where the Turks had left them.

It was then that Reno realized just how tired he was. He asked the manager to add their bar bill to their hotel expenses and mentally kicked himself over not having called Camryn earlier, just to let her know everything had turned out well. He debated whether or not to call her, weighing the possibilities of annoying her by calling at that hour, or getting yelled at by calling the next day rather than earlier today. Reno sighed, thinking, "_Ah, hell, it's already 4 in the morning, let her sleep. If she yells, I'll take it like a man_."

* * *

A few hours later, Rude woke up. It appeared to be mid-morning. He looked at the warm lump beside him. Miyuki was sprawled out next to him, naked, arms splayed. Rude felt slightly uncomfortable, not at what had happened between them, but at not really remembering all of it. He had brief, sensory memories, of how her skin tasted, how hot her mouth felt on him, how her voice sounded in the darkened room when she cried out.

She stirred beside him, waking up. "Hey, big guy," she smiled, stretching. Rude rumbled a quiet, "Good morning." There was an underlying tension in his voice, and in the way he wouldn't look her in the eye. Miyuki turned on her side, looking at him, "What's wrong, Rude?" He shook his head, "Nothing."

Miyuki touched his arm, "C'mon, Rude, don't shut me down. We had such a great time last night." Rude said nothing.

"_Please, please don't lock me out, big guy, not after this,_" she thought. Miyuki reached out, touched his arm, "If you're feeling guilty about last night, don't. I'm not about to go all psycho when you don't propose or bring me chocolates. There are no strings attached, just some, 'I'm glad to be alive' booty."

That made Rude smile.

Miyuki continued, "Besides, if I hadn't gotten laid last night, I'd have done something demented."

Rude snickered, "Really? Like what?" She shrugged, "I dunno. Probably would've set Reno's head on fire or something."

He chuckled at that, finally responding to the hand she'd put on his arm. He took her hand in his own, thoughtfully examining her fingers. Miyuki had delicate, lady-like fingers, fingers that had snuffed out more lives than Rude could ever know about.

A brief image of the same dainty fingers, covered in blood and dirt, crooked and swollen flashed in his mind, but Rude swept the unwelcome memory away.

Like the Turks themselves, Miyuki's fingers adapted to situations. Fingers that had tortured a terrorist for information yesterday now skimmed gently along his jaw line.

Another brief image of the now-tender fingers grabbing a SOLDIERs head. "_She had one hand in his hair, the other on his chin. She was about to snap his neck, but Tseng talked her out of it. I remember the surveillance tape; Miyuki looked like a wild animal, caught in a snare,_" Rude thought for a second, but on the heels of that, "_But not now. Not ever again. She really seems OK now; I'm glad._"

Rude glanced quickly at Miyuki, who'd just said something. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked, placing her hand on top of his chest, where Miyuki could feel the strong beat of his powerful heart.

He noticed she looked faintly sad, although she tried to hide it. Rude could see her expression in the unconscious tightening of the skin around her mouth, her eyes.

"_I used to be so scared of you, big guy. You were like some fantastical boogeyman, all tall and dark and menacing with those shades. I could never see your eyes, that's why I never really trusted you, 'cause I never knew what you were thinking. Not now. I can tell, even with the damn shades, that you're kind and decent and loyal._"

Miyuki shook her head, "Nothing, really. Just thinking out loud." Rude shifted onto his side, facing her, and persisted, "What about?" She smiled wistfully, "About it being a damn shame I was so fucking drunk last night. I don't remember much about what happened."

Rude grinned, "Same here. A waste, if you ask me. It really is a shame."

The Wutaian sniper smiled, catching on to his game, "Yup. I mean, I know we had lots of fun, you know, got a few nice aches going on, it probably was something truly fuckin' _epic_, you know what I mean?"

She put her hand to his face, running her thumb across the wiry hairs on his chin. Rude's eyes shone with good humor as he pressed a quick, warm kiss to the inside of her wrist. "If there were only a way . . ." he began.

". . . Yeah. . ?" Miyuki mumbled, sliding one of her legs between his, rubbing up and down on his calves. ". . . If there were only a way to refresh our memories . . . That would be great . . ." he teased, pushing his hand into her dark, glossy hair, drawing her near.

Now it was her turn to tease, "Rude, what a lame-ass pick-up line!" He let out a laugh and pulled her to him, Miyuki laughing as well as she half-leaned half-lay against him. "_Oh, Rude, how was I ever afraid of you?_" she thought as she smiled against his mouth.

* * *

Reno woke up at noon, thanking his Mako engineering for the admirable lack of hang-over sickness. He got up and stretched, looking out his room window at the beautiful ocean below. He smiled wistfully, thinking of how much Camryn and Brendan would like Junon, from the fishy-smelling village below to the soaring airships above.

The redhead fished out some clean clothes and went to brush his teeth and get a shower before calling in with both Camryn and Tseng.

When he called Camryn a few minutes later, the phone rang twice, and then it seemed like something knocked it over. Something, or some_one_, as Reno suddenly heard Brendan shout, "Hi!" Before Reno could reply, however, Brendan yelled in anger as Camryn plucked the phone from his hands, answering, "Hello?! I'm so sorry! He likes to think he's my assistant or something, heh heh . . ."

Reno began, "Hi, sugar-" but was cut off as Brendan growled and did something to Camryn, something that made her yell in pain, "Ow, _ow_!! Stop it, Bren! Don't bite me, you brat!"

She finally managed to get away from the squalling toddler, gasping, "Oh my God, are you still there? Who is it?"

Reno laughed, "Hi Cammy. What's going on there, man? Sounds like a battle." Camryn laughed, "Hi, baby! Yeah, Bren's being a pest today. He really got sick. He has a fever, feels really lousy, and he's been kicking up tantrums all morning long. I'm going crazy!"

The Turk commiserated, "Poor you." Camryn agreed, "Yeah . . ." but then brightened up, "See? I was right. You made it out OK yesterday." Reno made a snorting sound through his nose, "No thanks to the executives. Either way, Veld got reinstated. That's the only reason we came out on top, really."

Camryn heard Brendan, still crying and now coughing loudly. "Oh, honey, don't- gimme a second, Reno. Kid's crying rivers here." Reno acknowledged, "Sure, go ahead," while listening closely.

Camryn put the phone down and picked up her son. He was no longer simply pitching a tantrum, but crying in discomfort as his coughing made his sore throat feel worse. She moistened a small towel and wiped his hot face with it, crooning softly, "It's OK, sweetheart."

She took out a bottle of cold juice from the refrigerator and sat back down with Brendan in her lap. As he drank his juice, she took up the phone again, almost expecting Reno to have hung up. "Hello?" she asked quietly.

"Still here, babe," came the welcome reply. "He sounds real bad, Cam. How long has he had the fever?" Camryn glanced at the clock on the wall and counted the hours, "For at least 2 hours, Reno. I'm starting to get worried. I called the doctor already, but he told me to just give Bren his medicine and try to wait it out. His coughing isn't getting any better either."

Reno frowned, "You shouldn't wait much longer, Cam." She saw Brendan had finished his bottle, and was looking tired. "I know," she told Reno, "you know what? You convinced me. I'm going to the doctor's office. I'm just gonna change my clothes and I'm out the door. Call me when you're back in Midgar, won't you? My offer to make you dinner still stands, you know."

Reno smiled, "Looking forward to it, sweetness. I'll call you later. Go take Bren to the doctor."

After Camryn hung up, Reno couldn't help but feel a small knot of unease in his belly. He knew Camryn would take excellent care of Brendan, but this was the first time the toddler got so sick.

He shook his head and called Tseng next. The Turk Field Leader answered promptly, as always. Reno yawned, "Hey, Tseng. Just to let you know I'm all in one piece. Has either Rude or Yuki called?" Tseng muttered, "No. Strange, really. About Rude, not Miyuki. She never calls. And either way, she smashed her PHS yesterday."

Reno muttered, "Oh, yeah." Tseng asked him, "Had fun last night?" Reno seemed enthusiastic, "Shit yeah, boss! Rude was actually humming golden oldies last night. And then he was dancing." Tseng made a surprised sound, "Really!? Wow . . . he must have been prodigiously drunk for that to have happened."

Reno shrugged, "Meh, thereabouts." Tseng chuckled, "That would explain the lack of phone call . . . either way, I'm going to eat something. And then, I'm going to check out if it's true or not that this hotel has a hot tub somewhere." Reno whistled, "Oh my God, you're a closet hedonist!" Tseng laughed, "I'll tell you guys if I ever do find it. See you later."

After finally finishing his phone calls, Reno got dressed and went out to bother Rude and Miyuki. He knocked on Rude's hotel room door, and quickly stifled his laughter upon hearing Miyuki cheerily call out, "It's unlocked!"

He opened the door and saw a discomfited-looking Rude searching for his shoes. Miyuki was shameless. She was still naked in bed, wrapped in the bed sheets. She grinned cheekily and winked at Reno.

"Woo-hoo! Well, you two had some fun last night!" Reno teased, "Here you go," he said, tossing Rude's missing shoe at him. Rude caught it, smiling a bit awkwardly. He turned his back on them to finish getting dressed.

"Mmm, Reno," Miyuki pouted, "Rude wouldn't snuggle, said he had to get a shower!"

Reno could all but feel Rude cringing. He bit his lip to keep from laughing, and loudly said, in as a heroic voice as he could muster, "An unsnuggled lady? Never!" He sat on the edge of the bed, and Miyuki wiggled over to him to put her head on his leg.

Reno petted her hair, running his fingers through it. He told his companions, "I called Tseng, let him know we made it out of the bar OK. The bastard's actually looking for a hot tub, can you believe it?"

Miyuki's eyes were sleep-glazed; having her hair petted made her incredibly sleepy and docile, as Reno had discovered a few weeks earlier. She suddenly snapped to attention, turning her head and biting Reno's leg.

"OW, what the _fuck_?!" Reno yelled, his hand fisting reflexively in her hair. "You were making me sleepy," she explained, batting his hands away from her hair. Reno grumbled, "You coulda just told me, y'know."

Miyuki managed to look both innocent and devilish at the same time. "What, and not get my daily blood tribute?" she teased, "Suck it up, _woman_!"

She got up, pulling the sheets around her, looking very rumpled and decidedly sexy, by the way both men's jaws dropped. Miyuki heckled, "Oh, yeah, you're totally drooling, guys," winking at them, and made her way to the bathroom, laughing at them.

Reno glanced at Rude, "She's crazy. You boffed a crazy woman last night, Rude." Rude snickered, but immediately sobered up when Reno amended, "Or maybe it was an overdose of vitamin Rude that made her snap . . ."

Rude scowled at Reno. The glare was mostly ineffective by virtue of his having buttoned his shirt wrong.

Reno gnashed his teeth and looked so fearsome Rude grimaced and looked away, a 'WTF?' look on his face.

From inside the bathroom, Miyuki's voice rang out, "Reno, could you be an adorable cute little redheaded kupo-kupo moogle and get my shit together?" Reno yelled, "Woman, get your _own_ shit together!" She roared back at him, "Listen, bitch, I will slap the tattoos offa your face if I come out here and my stuff isn't set up!"

She punctuated her threat by viciously punching the adjacent wall. It was a testament to the hostile woman's threat enforcing capabilities that both men jumped at the resulting boom her fist made when hitting the wall.

Reno scowled and began picking up her clothing from the floor. "The nerve on this crazy bitch," he muttered under his breath. He looked at Rude, who was nearly done getting dressed, and asked him, "Oh brave and honorable master, please answer my question: How did you ever manage to fuck that hellspawn and live to see another day?"

Rude laughed, and wisely told him "In Mideel there is a saying, my child: God watches over small children and very drunken people. Neither of them ever really know what they're doing."

* * *

A/N: Um . . . yeah.

So Miyuki jumped Rude's bones. Can't blame her, really. And the whole 'morning after' scene, when Reno comes into the room, that was a lot of fun to write, what with Reno's nonsense, Rude's complete 'OMG, would you people leave me ALONE!' attitude, and Miyuki's using sex-appeal to destroy the men. And yeah, I'm sorry, I just couldn't manage to make Tseng hula dance on a tabletop.

The Legend is a Turk that appears in Before Crisis. As the name implies, he is some sort of Turk phenomenon. He fights with bombs, incendiaries, grenades, stuff like that. He's also a top secret, upper-echelon kind of guy. Veld doesn't really order him around, from what you can actually see in the game. Or so I've read.

As for the whole 'Who's cooler, Ninjas or Samurais? -Pirates' and table football thing, like I said before, this is just some of the infamous bullshit I mentioned before.

Also, I hope I managed what I've been wanting to do this last couple of chapters: give Rude some dimension. Just because he doesn't talk much, doesn't mean he is a flat, uninteresting character. Please let me know any suggestions or ideas you might have that you think might help.

Finally . . . Yay! Reno's getting worried about Brendan! He can't pretend he's not interested anymore!

Wait, is that good or bad?

While I ponder this enigma, please leave a review!


	27. Back to the Tower

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar, the slums, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix. What does belong to me are my Original Characters, Camryn and Miyuki, and the story itself. There are no Before Crisis spoilers in this chapter!

Read and Review, please! And a special shout-out to my reviewers! You make me spout little hearts over my head! It means I appreciate your support!

* * *

_**February 2, 0002**_

Tseng _**had**_ managed to find the hot tub. He'd called Reno (who then called Miyuki, who then called Rude) with the location, and after a lengthy dip in the swirling, hot water, the Turks made their way to the airbase to get back to Midgar.

Reno had all but pitched a tantrum when Rude said he'd be flying the helicopter. The big man had yielded, but was actually almost thrown to the back of the chopper when Miyuki yelled, "Shotgun!", shoving him away and planting herself next to the redhead.

Tseng sighed and patted the uncomfortable seat next to him, "Come on, Rude. Don't even try to insist against those two." Rude scowled at the two annoying Turks and sat opposite Tseng. The Wutaian leader felt Rude staring. He knew the man well enough to know when he was looking at him, even with the sunglasses.

"What is it, Rude?" Tseng quietly asked, while Reno and Miyuki argued out in the front. Rude gave a brief smile, "A few drinks did you wonders. You look relaxed." Tseng smiled back, idly scratching his head, a small gesture very few people ever saw the poised man make.

"Ah, give me some credit, Rude. I was all keyed up because of this mission, what with Heidegger in charge and all. But everything came out well. I had a few drinks, even found a hot tub to soak in. So, everything's OK now, right?"

Rude nodded, letting out a breath through his nose. Then he gasped when Tseng went on, "Not as OK as you, if what I found out is true . . ." Rude glanced at Tseng sideways, ". . . Meaning . . ?"

Tseng didn't answer. He merely gestured towards Miyuki and back at Rude, arching his eyebrows, a faint smile on his lips. Rude narrowed his eyes at Tseng, who grinned, "Oh my sainted mother, you _did_ spend the night together!"

Rude grinned at the expression and nodded, and before Tseng could even say a word, he clarified, "Just a one night thing. As she put it, some 'I'm glad to be alive' booty." Tseng shook his head, smiling, "It's OK, I'm not saying anything."

Before long, they'd reached Midgar. It was mid-afternoon. Reno landed the helicopter carefully on the helipad located on the terrace of President ShinRa's office, Tseng having first called it in to not interrupt any important meeting the President Might be having.

Reno got out of the chopper, stretching his arms and legs. Miyuki staid in the chopper while the other men got out, as it was her turn to check the machine's condition before returning it to the ShinRa armed forces motor pool. Tseng passed by her side, nodding at her. When Rude passed, Miyuki smiled at him. He smiled back.

Outside the chopper, they heard Reno muttering, "Hey, you woolly beast, how you doing? Where's your miscreant owner?"

Tseng glanced over, saw Reno petting Dark Nation, who'd apparently heard the noise and went to examine the source of it. He glanced around, wondering where Vice-President ShinRa was, as Dark Nation seldom went anywhere without her owner.

He wasn't disappointed, as he heard the young man's voice drawl, "About time you people got here." Tseng looked at the teenager who'd been his primary charge since he first became a Turk.

Always, Tseng had been able to see the reason behind the young ShinRa's actions. Always, he'd gotten along well with the young man. He'd taught Rufus so many things, and the relationship between them had been friendlier than mere bodyguard-mark.

Rufus had come into Tseng's care when he was a mere boy of eight years. Tseng had basically raised the now-Vice-President. He'd talked to Tseng, asking him about Turk training, about guns, about how to drive, how to try to please his demanding father.

But not anymore. Rufus ShinRa had changed. He didn't talk to Tseng anymore, or any other Turk, for that matter. Tseng could only ponder what had happened to make him change, feeling sad and just a little bit desperate at the young man's coldness towards the ones he used to call friends.

Tseng saluted the young man, explaining, "There weren't enough helicopters to transport all of us yesterday, sir. We had to wait for this one." Rufus glanced over all of them, his gaze concentrating minutely on Tseng and Miyuki. He let out a breath, "Oh, well. I heard it was a tough mission, but you all seem in good condition."

Reno and Miyuki quickly stifled their grins. Tseng looked at them, dismayed, thinking, "_What the hell are they laughing about?_" Rufus frowned a bit, and got closer to Reno. He asked the tall redhead, "What happened? What's so funny?" Reno bit the insides of his lips, then muttered, ". . . it rhymed, sir."

Rufus looked a bit confused, though he dissembled quite nicely. He asked, "What are you talking about, Reno?" Miyuki explained, "Sir, you said 'a tough mission' and then 'seem in good condition'. It rhymed."

Tseng barely restrained a frustrated groan, thinking, "_Of all the things they could be doing, they're making fun of him!?_" What was worse, he could see Rude beginning to smile as well.

Rufus was actually struggling to not smile. He flicked his hair back in his characteristic gesture, and said, "Anyway, it's good to have you back. I have to go now. I must check in with my father." With that, he left, Dark Nation padding sedately after him.

Tseng let out a tense breath and rounded in on Reno and Miyuki, "What the hell is _wrong_ with you two?!" The Turks gave nearly identical shrugs. Tseng shook his head and motioned at them, "Let's check in with Veld."

* * *

After both senior Turks reported to Veld (Reno and Miyuki went ahead to finish all the leftover reports they couldn't get to, as Heidegger had flooded them with work), they headed to the Turk lounge. It was empty. All the Turks were either out on missions, or pursuing other forms of entertainment. Tseng stretched his arms over his head, yawning widely. Rude stifled his own yawn, and asked, "So? Everything set?" The Wutaian leader nodded, "Yes. All that's left is check tomorrow's agenda, and get something to eat. What are you going to do?" Rude shrugged, "Sleep for 5 of hours and imagine it was actually 10. I get in early tomorrow."

Tseng nodded, "Me too." Suddenly, he smiled, "Sleep? What is that?" Rude smiled back, "And who needs it, anyway?" Tseng gestured with his hand, "Certainly not us, uber-Turks!" Rude chuckled, "A few cups of coffee, that's all we need!" They both cracked up laughing, remembering their old jokes from their training days, when they'd both laughed more often. "Ooh, Rude," Tseng began, still looking flushed with laughter, "If it weren't for these moments . . ." Rude mumbled, "And the paydays . . ." That set them off again.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Reno and Miyuki finished what little reports they had, as the huge piles of paperwork Heidegger had flooded them with had been delegated to his own Department. Reno finished his last report, and signed it. He got up and glanced around. The only ones there were a couple of rookies and Miyuki.

The rookies got up to get something to eat from the cafeteria, and Reno took the opportunity to harass Miyuki.

"Whatcha doing, Ki-bird? Putting in all the juicy details from last night?" he asked. Miyuki sneered at him, "No, you pinhead. I'm trying to make something up. I kinda sorta maybe bent my orders a bit." Reno gave her some suggestions, and Miyuki snickered, "And I used the motherfucking dolphin to get up on the electric scaffold in the water? What the hell, Reno? That's a little far-fetched."

Reno shrugged, "But perfectly feasible. Anyway, I got places to go, and people to meet. See you tomorrow, Ki-bird." Miyuki teased, "Ooh, you're not staying in the ShinRa apartment to day?" Reno narrowed his eyes at her as she began pumping her arms up and down in a dancing gesture as she sang, "Reno's getting booty, Reno's getting booty!"

Reno laughed, "Nah, I don't think so. I just don't want to be caught in the crossfire if you and Rude decide to try for Round 2." Miyuki sighed, "Alas, we've done all we set out to do: get rid of the day's stress by knocking boots. There's nothing else to be done." Reno tsk'ed at her, "Oh, well."

Miyuki shrugged, "Oh, well. It _was_ an awful lot of fun, especially when he-"

Reno yelled, "Don't wanna fucking _know_!!" and bent and kissed the top of her head, "I'll see you tomorrow." Miyuki nodded, "Best place to be, right?" Reno laughed and left. Miyuki watched him leave, a feeling of affection for the redhead making her smile. He hadn't teased her about Rude as much as she'd feared. Instead, they both teamed up and teased Rude.

She finished her report, and headed to the apartment she would stay in by herself. "It really does seem lifeless without Reno here . . ." Miyuki thought, heaving a small sigh before settling in to bed earlier than she was used to, out of boredom.

* * *

Back at her apartment, Camryn touched her sleeping son's back. She heaved a sigh of relief when she felt him blessedly fever-free. She stroked his head fondly, and went to check when his next dose of medicine was due. 

Camryn had already finished dinner, but hadn't eaten yet, what with her worry over Brendan. He'd been fussy after getting back from the doctor's office, particularly angry at a shot the Doctor had administered him. But Camryn had fed him and bathed him, until at long last, Brendan relaxed and went to sleep.

She heard a familiar voice at her door, as Reno knocked and called, "It's me, baby, open up!"

Camryn went to the door and opened it, grinning at the redhead, "Hi, sweet-pea." Reno grinned back, sincerely glad to see her, "Yuck, sweet-pea? Isn't there any other vegetable?" Camryn pretended to pout, mumbling, "But I like sweet-peas . . ." Reno closed the door and playfully tugged a lock of her hair, "A more macho vegetable, like . . . I dunno, I guess all vegetables are kinda girly."

Camryn hugged him around the waist, "And that's why you hate them so much?" Reno returned the hug, feeling the tension in her shoulders, "I don't hate vegetables." Camryn snickered, "Liar. You won't ever eat anything green, no matter what I do with it."

She nuzzled her head against Reno's chest and Reno laughed, "Cammy, why the fuck are we talking about vegetables?" She shrugged, still cuddling him, "I dunno."

Reno swayed with her on the spot, asking, "How's Bren?" Camryn swayed with him, head still pressed against the top of his chest, listening to his voice resonate. Listening to his strong heartbeat. She answered him, "I finally got him to sleep. He was pissed at me and the Doctor, 'cause he gave him a shot. But it worked the trick, and his fever went down, thank God."

Reno nodded, "Yeah, that's good. Little kids shouldn't be in hospitals." Camryn smiled, recognizing his concern for Brendan. Then she asked, "Baby, you want to shower up while I get you your dinner?" He nodded, but continued nevertheless to hold her and sway as he asked, "What did you make?"

She was content to sway with him, feeling her stress melting away.

Camryn responded, "Since I was already out on the street with Bren, I bought a roasted chicken. Then I got back here, and when I finally had Bren settled down, I made potato salad and macaroni and cheese." Reno snickered, "Mac and cheese go along with potato salad?" She grumbled, "It's what I felt like eating, punk."

"Did you burn it again?" Reno asked, smiling at her expected reaction. He wasn't disappointed. No sooner had he asked her that, than he felt her give him a little bite on his chest. She objected, "No, I did not burn it."

Reno apologized, smiling, "Ooh, so sorry . . . and for dessert?" She teased him in a coy voice, "I'm all the sweet stuff you'll ever need, babe." He burst out laughing, "Ooh, Cammy! Good one! What else are they teaching you down at the Honey Bee?" She smiled, "I'll show you later on. New dance moves that'll have you drooling and begging for more." He quietly cheered, "Yay!" Camryn let out a small breath, "But seriously, for dessert there's ice-cream. I got some cherries, fudge sauce and nuts, we could fix ourselves sundaes."

Finally, Reno let her go. She looked tired, but happy. He gave her a quick wink, "I'll go get that shower now. I'll leave the door open. For your benefit, you know." Camryn grinned and teased, "What the fuck for? I'm tired of looking at your pasty ass!" Reno looked aghast, gasping exaggeratedly. She hugged him again, this time slipping her hands lower than before to give his butt a squeeze, "I'm kidding, honey. You got a nice bubble-butt!" He snickered, shaking his head, "Bubble-butt, she says. 'Bubble-butt', my ass!" Camryn let him go and pushed him towards the bathroom, "Exactly!" Reno cackled, peeling off his jacket as he headed towards the bathroom.

A while later, they'd finished dinner. They sat eating their sundaes in the living room, watching a scary movie. Camryn flinched at a particularly gory scene, and Reno snickered, "Pussy." She pinched his leg softly, "Yo Mama!" He burst out laughing, setting down his empty ice-cream dish, "Oh, you do not want to start a 'Yo Mama' game with me, Varens."

She set down her own dish and took Reno's, muttering, "You always leave the good stuff; look, you didn't eat the cherry." Reno shrugged, "I don't like them very much, and either way, you're just gonna scavenge them later on." Camryn poked the remains of Reno's sundae, fishing out the dejected-looking cherry. She popped the cherry into her mouth, and suddenly Reno was upon her.

He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her, holding her around the waist tightly, tasting the cherry she'd been eating. Camryn felt her heart racing as she pulled off the small band tying Reno's hair. She ran her fingers through his soft hair, trying to not choke on the cherry she'd been eating when Reno kissed her.

Reno's hands had also done their share of roaming. One was squeezing her butt, and the other was cupping one of her breasts. He pulled back from the kiss, teasing, ". . . and that's about the only way I like cherries . . ." She cleared her throat, "Ahem. Um . . . uh . . ."

He snickered at her senseless mutterings, "What happened? Cat got your tongue?" Camryn got her composure back, "No, you did." Reno smiled, "Touché." She grinned and kissed the corner of his mouth softly, and felt his hands tighten a bit on her body. Camryn pulled back and teased, "Admit it, you want me bad."

Reno stroked her legs and kissed the hollow of her shoulder, hearing her draw a quick breath. "You want me worse," he whispered. Camryn shrugged, "I spent all day carrying Bren around. I'm tired." She got off Reno's lap and made an elaborate show out of stretching and yawning.

Reno narrowed his eyes at her, "What, you want me to beg?" She shrugged, "Eh, wouldn't hurt my ego." Reno huffed, "I don't beg." Camryn smiled, "I know you don't, baby, but it would still be nice sometimes." She turned her back on him and started walking towards her room.

She felt Reno's hands on her again, as he twisted her around to face him. "I don't beg," he told her, "I persuade."

With that, he pushed her up against the wall and kissed her, being maddeningly rough, squeezing her with almost bruising force as he all but tore her shirt off. Camryn whimpered and sighed against his mouth, her fingers tugging his hair, pulling his shirt up. She slid her hands down and grabbed his butt, gasping, "Please, Reno, please . . ."

He kissed her neck, reaching behind her to undo her bra. "Yeah?" he growled against her throat. Camryn pulled him up and bit his earlobe, whispering, "You talked me into it, honey. You-" she actually snickered, "-you, um, drive a _hard_ bargain."

Reno began to laugh, "Oh my God, you idiot!" She laughed as well, "What can I say? You make me go crazy!" He smiled and picked her up. "To bed then?" Camryn nodded, "To bed."

* * *

A/N: So, we're done with the AVALANCHE vs Junon chapter of Before Crisis, and all is well. 

Unfortunately, I don't see Rude/Miyuki going any further than this, but feel free to argue. Also, I liked how she and Reno teased Rufus, with the whole rhyme thing. I think Miyuki is certifiable insane, and paired up with Reno . . . The results speak for themselves! And finally the way Tseng feels upset about Rufus having changed his way of acting towards them . . . kind of a spoiler for Before Crisis, but not a really obvious one, for now. I'll warn Before I say anything, to avoid any Crisis.

Oh, and if Tseng seemed a little OC, joking around with Rude, I did that because, in my way of seeing it, they've both been there for a long time, and I would assume they have some sort of in-between humor only they can catch on to. Agree? Disagree? Let me know in a lovely review!


	28. Everything As It Was

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar, the slums, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix. The translations from the Before Crisis handheld game belong to Dark Angel over at the Gunshot Romance webpage. What does belong to me are my Original Characters, Camryn and Miyuki, and the story itself.

A/N - No, no, _NO_, I haven't forgotten my story. It's just the usual end of semester crunch. I'm losing my mind!!

Also, in a spectacular, curious fit of writer's block, I've been writing lots of Tselena lately . . . but _that_ won't happen in a while . . . Ke ke ke! . . . . Never mind me!!

Enjoy! Read and Review, please!

* * *

_**February 3, 0002**_

Camryn woke up the next morning to a cold, empty bed. "Baby?" she whispered, reaching over to the space Reno had been sleeping on earlier. Other than the messy sheets, the place was empty. Camryn sighed and lay back down. She shut her eyes and breathed in deeply, catching Reno's scent on her skin, on the bedclothes. A pleasant sensation fluttered in her belly, and her pulse accelerated when the memory of their night together.

She took the pillow he'd used and hugged it tightly to herself, pressing her face to it. It smelled of him, and Camryn nuzzled it happily, imagining it to be the redhead.

It made her sneeze.

Camryn grumbled, thinking, "_Even in a pretend world, he's out to get me_." She sat in bed, the pillow cradled in her arms. A red hair was caught in the fabric of the pillow's sham. Camryn smiled to herself and picked the hair away, thinking how funny they'd look together out in the street, a very fair-skinned redhead and a bronze-skinned Costan. She put the pillow aside and went to the dresser, grabbing a camisole and panties.

As she crossed the hallway into the bathroom, she heard Brendan cooing quietly in his room.

He always woke early, "_Just like his father_. . ." Camryn thought.

The rest of the apartment was quiet. Camryn wondered whether Reno had really left while stepping into the shower and turning on the hot spray. He usually staid for breakfast, or "broke Bren out of jail" and took him out for a morning-time stroll (she wasn't sure how she felt about that; they were both apprehensive of being found out, but reno always made sure he wasn't obviously recognizable on those walks around the park), or sat in watching TV. "_. . . But just leaving like that? No, he hasn't done that in ages . . ._"

After she cleaned and dressed herself, Camryn checked her son. Brendan looked at his mother inquisitively, smiling as he put his arms up in the universal baby-speak for 'pick me up'. Camryn smiled back and held her baby, quietly admiring him, "You're such a good baby, right, Bren? No screaming or yelling, just tantrums when you're sick." Brendan toyed with her earrings, and suddenly, Camryn could hear the TV. Knowing he really was still there, she blew a raspberry on Brendan's soft cheek, whispering, "Ooh, see! Reno's here! Isn't that fun, honey-pie?" Brendan nodded seriously, as if saying, "_But of course __**I**__ know that_!"

Camryn headed out, and the moment she entered the living room, she saw him. Reno was sitting cross-legged on the couch, eating a small bowl of cereal, with a mug of coffee on the floor next to him. He winked at her. Camryn winked back, and put Brendan down next to Reno while she fetched him his morning bottle.

Reno looked at the toddler, who grinned back toothily. The Turk narrowed his eyes at Brendan as he warned, "Hey, I'm watching you, boy." Brendan giggled, and bit Reno's knee. Reno snickered uncontrollably, unable to put the bowl anywhere to get Brendan off his leg. He laughed/whined, "Stop that, Bren! Why are you always biting me?!"

Camryn saved him by pulling Brendan off him. Brendan shouted angrily, but Camryn gave him the warm bottle as a peace offering. The toddler acquiesced, and lay on his back on the couch, propped up on the couch's armrest. Camryn turned her attention to Reno. "I thought you were gone, babe," she said, taking the bowl of soggy-looking cereal from him. Reno muttered crossly, "I was eating that, dammit . . . You're always throwing out my breakfast . . .You and your kid are out to get me . . ."

Camryn put the bowl down, cupped his face between her hands and gave him a loud, friendly kiss. He responded, kissing her back with an enthusiastic smacking kiss of his own. When Camryn stepped away from him, he grinned, "Yuck. Minty-paste. But I'm still hungry, you know." She scoffed and argued, "You're always hungry!" Reno defended himself, "It's my fucked up metabolism, woman!"

Camryn snickered and sat next to him. Reno pulled her legs onto his lap, and as he popped Camryn's toes, she offered, "I always toss your breakfast, 'cause it's always cold cereal, and you don't have to eat cold cereal if I'm here to make you something, so . . . What do you want for breakfast, sugar?" She winced at a particularly loud crack. Reno smiled at her reaction, and kept pulling her toes. He shrugged, "I dunno. Whatever you're making, I guess." Camryn stretched her calves, pointing her feet. She mused, "I got eggs. Veggies, ham, bread, cheese . . . I'm thinking omelets with toast. What'cha think?"

Reno gave her an adoring look, "Baby! You're a goddess! Sex on two legs! Gorgeous!" Camryn knelt on the couch and kissed him again, muttering against his mouth, "Such a kiss-ass . . ."

A few minutes later, they were both working in the kitchen. Brendan had tagged along, and now sat playing with his toys on the other side of the kitchen, where it opened into the hallway. He chattered away at his toys, making up words when the ones he knew wouldn't suffice.

Grumble as she might about Reno 'invading her territory', in reality Camryn liked having Reno in the kitchen. The way he moved so comfortably, not having to ask where she kept utensils, or condiments. The way he would accidentally brush against her, or reach for something over her head, always within touching distance in the cramped kitchen.

The way when, noticing Brendan staring at him while he chopped the ham, Reno took a little piece and hunkered down to feed it to him.

Camryn could almost imagine them having the type of relationship that was off-limits to them. She shook her head, smiling sadly to herself as she briskly whisked the eggs and poured them into the pan.

Reno, having fed Brendan the ham, stroked the toddler's head fondly, and turned towards Camryn, who was currently turned away from him. She'd tied her hair back in a careless ponytail, tendrils of her hair curling softly around her face.

She'd cut it, despite his protests, right after her relationship with Jud was done for. Reno had indeed protested, loving her long, long blue-black hair. It was the longest she'd ever had it, and Reno thought it made her look incredibly sexy. She'd insisted on cutting it off, however, insisting that, more often than not, that beautiful hair was the 'handle' by which Jud had grabbed her in order to abuse her.

So, she'd cut it. She'd cut it dramatically short, only just above shoulder-length. Then, she cried, correctly interpreting Reno's shocked look when he'd first seen her after the haircut. And then, she'd laughed. She was finally free of the cruel man.

She was growing her hair out again, and in their afterglow pillow talk, Camryn confessed she wanted it long, and soft and beautiful for no one else but him.

Reno sighed softly to himself, pretending to look for some cheese to grate for the omelets. While Camryn quite obviously held a very dear place in his heart, Reno couldn't describe or explain, not even to himself, just how exactly did he feel about her. "_Sure,_" he thought, "_I love her, but am I __in love__ with her?_" He glanced at her from out the corner of his eye.

She was still wearing that damn, tiny camisole, and the flirty panties.

Reno bit his lower lip, feeling a strange flutter in his stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. He decided to actually get the cheese, and as he closed the fridge, he saw Camryn step up to the counter, looking distracted. He smiled one of what Camryn called his "patented and guaranteed-to-piss-you-off Reno-smiles".

He stood directly behind her, and stepped close, **very** close to her, close enough to actually press her body against the counter. Camryn grinned, and Reno could hear the smile in her voice when she asked, "Uhh, baby? Can I get some room here?"

Reno kissed the top of her head, reaching above her for something. "I'm just getting the cheese-grater, doll, don't get your hopes up," he teased. Camryn snickered and gave him a playful reversed head-butt on the chest. Reno put the grater and the unwrapped cheese on the counter.

And he proceeded to grate the cheese, Camryn caught in the middle.

Camryn laughed as Reno shook and jostled her, using exaggerated movements to grate the cheese. When he felt he'd grated enough cheese (and shook her around just the right amount), Reno wiped his hands and turned her around. Her face still shone with laughter, and she hugged him around the waist, surprising herself by thinking, "_I love you, Reno_."

Reno felt her stiffen in his arms, and he asked, "What is it, Cammy?" He glanced over at Brendan, but the toddler was happily humming as he pushed some toy blocks around. Camryn stepped away from him, smiling absently and averting her gaze, "Nothing, hon. I just gotta check on the eggs. Don't wanna burn them and have you tease me for always burning stuff."

Reno gave her a questioning look, knowing there was something deeper beneath the flippant attitude. "_But she's not about to tell me, not now_," he thought.

* * *

Elsewhere, Miyuki's phone rang, cutting against the silence in the apartment she shared with Reno. She picked it up and groggily answered, "Yeah?" Tseng greeted her with, "Good morning. Get up. You're heading out to Junon again."

Miyuki bolted upright in her bed, "What- NO! We just got back, Tseng! Why do I have to go back?!" Tseng let out some air through his nose, "Rufus is going out there to smooth some political feathers, and he requested you personally."

Tseng heard her muttering mutinously, and he ignored her, smiling instead as he remembered the friend he would visit today. He hadn't seen her in a very long time, since he'd gotten promoted, actually. Seeing her would be like a breath of fresh air.

Finally, he heard Miyuki finish, "Stupid ShinRa brat . . . Maybe I'll really break his fucking arm . . ." Tseng scolded, "You're lucky we de-bugged the phones. Heidegger heard that, you'd be somewhere else right now. Anyway, hurry up. Rufus leaves in 2 hours. It's a short trip, there's no need to pack a lot."

He hung up a moment later, and again smiled to himself, thinking of his friend. He'd already asked her if he could visit, and she seemed glad to hear from him.

Miyuki, meanwhile, flopped bonelessly back to bed, groaning and grumbling, "Damn you, ShinRa . . . This was supposed to be my day off . . ." But then she smiled, the smile sitting strangely on her face. She liked guarding Rufus. He was a very intelligent young man, and he made good conversations when he wasn't muttering something negative about his father.

And he was, of course, very nice to look at. The magazines and half the female population of Midgar seemed to think Rufus ShinRa was an extremely appealing young man. If not for his looks, then for the immeasurable fortune and power he was to inherit.

Miyuki knew it was unrealistic to think anything even remotely like that, but she was nonetheless aware of the way Rufus always asked for her on events like these. He seemed to sincerely like having her around, but lately . . . "_Lately, it feels like he's more like keeping watch on me . . . Am I under surveillance? From the Vice-President?_" she thought, finally getting out of bed.

She was still suspicious of him, still wary of his erratic behavior. She remembered the unease that had gripped her, making her so terrified, so insecure of her abilities as a Turk. Feeling a fair amount of resentment towards Rufus, Miyuki couldn't understand why he'd betray them, if he actually _was_ the one behind the information leaks.

When finally she went to the Turk lounge to wait for Rufus to summon her, she saw a few other Turks. Many of them seemed indifferent to her, or at least, as indifferent as she herself was to any of them. Of the people she truly did care for, there was only one available, and Miyuki was pissed at him.

Tseng arched an eyebrow, "Don't look at me like that."

Miyuki shrugged, "It was the first day off in weeks, _sempai_." Tseng rolled his eyes, "Yes, well, I'll write you up for a day off when you get back." She turned her back on his to grab some coffee and heard him mutter, "If it'll get you to stop whining . . ."

She whirled back to him, "_What!?_" Just then, her phone rang. Miyuki glared venomously at Tseng, who had a little smile on the corner of his mouth, and answered the phone. Veld curtly informed her that Rufus was waiting for her upstairs. Before he hung up, he added, "And by the way, Miyuki, I think you overdid yourself with the whole dolphin thing."

Miyuki grinned, "It's perfectly feasible, sir. It was a very well trained dolphin."

She hung up, and saw Tseng shaking his head at her. Before she could say anything, though, he pointed up at the roof, "Go to work. Rufus is waiting, and they decided that a SOLDIER has to go along, just to show off some muscle."

Upstairs, she saw Rufus ShinRa, looking sleepy and irritable, Dark Nation at his heels. "Hello, Miyuki," he greeted her, to which Miyuki replied, "Good morning, sir. Who tumbled you outta bed today?" She saw the ghost of a smile flicker across his face as he admitted, "The old man. He wants Junon to feel safe. And somehow, I'm the one that has to do it."

Miyuki gave him a commiserating nod, "Ah. Me, Tseng called. You do know I was in Junon yesterday." Rufus smiled more fully now, and turned his dark blue eyes to the helicopter that was powering up on the helipad.

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry, but . . ." he trailed off. Miyuki sighed, "Whatever. Let's get you in the chopper."

She heard someone crow happily, and turned her head to look at Zack Fair. Miyuki rolled her eyes, though a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, and grumbled, "Aw, hell, what do _you_ want?"

Zack grinned and nodded at Rufus, "Good morning, Mr. ShinRa." Then, he looked at her, "And good morning to you too, Miyuki."

Miyuki crossed her arms over her chest and asked again, "Yeah, whatever. What do you want?" Zack narrowed his eyes at her playfully, "Right now, my friend, all I want is to get back to bed. But spending a whole day with you seems mighty appealing."

The Wutaian Turk snickered, "Such a kiss-ass. I thought you had a girlfriend?" Zack shrugged, "Aw, come on now, nothing wrong with a little harmless flirting, is there?"

Rufus cleared his throat quietly, "Guys. Pardon the interruption of your happy reunion, but we should get going." With that being said, he turned and walked away from the Turk and the SOLDIER.

Zack snickered and teased, "Oooh, methinks Mr. ShinRa is jealous!" Miyuki laughed, "You ass. Why did we ever get saddled with you?" Zack shrugged, "They gave the order down at the barracks, and no one wanted to work with the Turks. I volunteered."

"Stupid rivalry, ain't it?" Miyuki asked Zack, watching an MP look at her crossly. Zack sighed, "Yeah. Never really understood it. I get along with you. And Reno. You guys are cool." Miyuki let out a breath through her nose, "I'm sorry, but I don't think I could ever grow to love the guys in SOLDIER. Either way, I think you're the only SOLDIER I like."

Zack grinned, "I'm flattered! But," he jerked his head at the chopper, "-let's get going, or your boyfriend will have me shot for treason or something. And then you and Tseng will cover it up."

* * *

A/N: I love, love, _love_ Zack! He's so _kakkoi_! Anyway, like I said earlier, I didn't forget the story, I'm just really struggling with the finals, and spent a month with really spectacular writer's block. Like I told one of my reviewers, I have most of the latter part of this fic already written in several notebooks. I just have to bridge the past (Before Crisis) to what I already have (most of it is Advent Children-onward) Also, I don't know why, but I got obsessed with Tselena writing, and that was all I managed whenever I tried to come up with a new chapter . . . Anyway, please forgive me! 


	29. Bestiary

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar, the slums, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix. The translations from the Before Crisis handheld game belong to Dark Angel over at the Gunshot Romance webpage. What does belong to me are my Original Characters, Camryn and Miyuki, and the story itself.

SPOILER ALERT : The first half of this chapter, as explained below, contains material from the Before Crisis game.

Pre-story A/N: Hey guys! The chapter is sort of divided in two. The first half is an incident described in detail in Dark Angel's kickass translations (Chapter 10, if you want to head over to Gunshot Romance and read it yourselves) and sadly, not very Reno-centric, and the latter part, all mine and YES! There is Reno stuff.

I also want to give a shout-out to the readers: It's all about you guys! I see interest, I'll be all over this story! You guys keep me going!

Enjoy! Read and Review, please!

* * *

_**June 17, 0002**_

The past few months were pleasant, uneventful. Brendan knew so many words he could have a short conversation with anybody. He looked forward to Reno's visits, cheerfully answering the phone whenever the Turk called.

Camryn was content to wait for him. She knew that, irregular as his visits were, Reno wasn't seeing anyone else at the moment. She knew they were as steady now as they'd ever been. And while it might not be perfect, she was willing to let him 'come to his senses' by himself.

Miyuki, Zack and Rufus had done well to quiet the unease in Junon after that terrorist attack, and had actually gone on a few more short trips like that. Everyone got to enjoy the trips: Rufus liked being independent, as ShinRa Senior rarely gave him an actual agenda; Zack liked getting out of the barracks and out in the open, even if it was only to show some 'muscle'; and Miyuki liked it because it meant getting out of ShinRa Tower on a regular basis, and not be cooped up waiting for another target to appear.

Rude and Miyuki had indeed gone for round two of spending the night together, and while no relationship was in sight, Reno still teased them about an impending wedding. Rude looked uncomfortable, but Miyuki egged Reno on.

Instead of escaping with their lives, the motivation this time had been pure boredom.

AVALANCHE had been particularly quiet ever since the Junon incident. Tseng was carefully optimistic about this, while Veld was determinedly fatalistic. Tseng thought that the terrorists going into a dormant state meant they were confused as to what to do next. Veld thought they knew exactly what they were going to do, and that it was going to be big, which was why they needed the extra time.

Veld was proven right.

It was 11 at night when the alarms at the Turk Headquarters began to ring. Veld rushed into the lounge, where several Turks had been mingling, and gave the order, "Everyone, get ready to leave!" The Turks all began readying themselves, looking towards Tseng and Veld for answers. Tseng asked, "Sir. Has something happened?"

Veld nodded, "A monster outbreak. You six, get down there and contain the monsters," he gestured at the newer recruits, the ones Reno and the others had been training. Tseng looked confused, "Sir, please wait. Where are these monsters?" Veld impatiently answered, "Right here in Headquarters!"

The rookies all seemed surprised, but Tseng took it all in stride, "Then… the monsters that are on the loose are from…" Veld nodded, "That's right. They're Professor Hojo's samples. They broke out of his laboratory. More likely somebody let them out."

Tseng mentally kicked himself for ever doubting his superior, and took over the evacuation of the employees who worked the night shift. To the rookies who were going after the escaped monsters, Veld asked them to keep the incident as quiet as possible, and that SOLDIERs wouldn't be needed.

* * *

Meanwhile, in her apartment in Sector 6, Camryn heard Reno's PHS sound a shrill alarm. Reno, who'd been fixing a toy of Brendan's, stood up abruptly, "Oh, shit, that can't be good. That's the Incident alarm. Where's my phone, babe?" Camryn gave him the phone, frowning. Reno winked at her and answered, "Yeah? . . . . . No way! How the hell did _that_ happen? . . . . Uh-huh . . . . But- OK . . . . Yeah, sure, Tseng. I'll get there . . . . See you."

Upon hanging up, he rubbed his hands on his face and growled, "Mmragh, what a fucking mess . . ." He let go of his face and began changing back into the uniform he'd taken off barely two hours earlier. Camryn frowned, "What's going on? What was the whole incident thing?"

Reno explained, "You know our resident evil genius, Hojo?" Camryn fetched him a clean shirt, "The bastard who gives you those Mako treatments that make you sick?" He grinned, shrugging into the shirt, "Thanks, baby. Yeah, that one. Well, he has this lab full of creepy beasties, and someone went in there and fucked up the locking systems, so now there are two or three floors of ShinRa Tower crawling with monsters."

Camryn held his jacket for him, looking a bit green, "Oh, jeez, Reno, will you be alright?" Reno kissed the tip of her nose, "Sure I will. It's rookie stuff. Actually, they're the ones taking care of the monsters. Tseng just needs me to help evacuate the employees who cover the night shift."

Reno put the jacket on and stepped into his shoes, "Anyway, I'm sorry to have to go, baby. I don't think I'll be back tonight. I'll try, though. But if it's too late by the time I finish up, I'll just stay over there."

Camryn squeezed his hands, "Don't worry about getting back here, sweetie. Just get rid of the monsters and . . . and be careful, OK?" Reno smiled and kissed her on the mouth, "Mmm, I will, don't worry. I'll talk to you soon. Bye."

* * *

A while later, one of the rookies, a blonde who'd impressed Tseng with her amazing shooting skills, got the Turks' attentions by telling them she'd seen AVALANCHE approach Professor Hojo and take him away. Veld quickly dispatched Turks to take the necessary steps, and entered a meeting with the executives, who were all anxious about the situation. As he expected, the reaction to the news was shocked.

Rufus surprised everyone with his outburst, "What?! You're telling me that AVALANCHE has abducted Hojo?" His father, President ShinRa, was also very nervous about it, "This isn't good! If Hojo's knowledge gets leaked out to the public, it's the end for the company." The young man nodded, at temporary agreement with his father, and asked, **"**Veld. What have you got to report?"

Veld nodded his head curtly, "We're dealing with the situation right now." The President made an irritable gesture with his hand, "Hurry it up. Hojo can't be trusted!" Again in tandem agreement with his father, Rufus added, "That's true… all he cares about is his research. If he finds something else that interests him more, it will be nothing to him to reveal any information, classified or not."

President ShinRa groaned agitatedly, "This is a dangerous situation. We have no other alternative, call on Sephiroth! Get Sephiroth here!!" Finally, Rufus displayed his usual disagreements with his father, "Sephiroth?! What good will that do? He'll call more attention to the situation than Hojo or AVALANCHE put together will."

Veld nodded in the Vice-President's direction, "Mr. President. The Vice-President makes a good point. If you bring Sephiroth into this, we won't be able to keep this incident quiet." The President's answer was short and rough, and the unfairness of it made Veld's jaw tighten in anger, "It's your job to make sure things like that don't get out in the first place, isn't it?"

Seeing Veld's disguised anger and knowing it meant he'd won this stand-off against the Turks and his own son, President ShinRa loudly ordered, "Enough! Bring Sephiroth out right away!"

Tseng hadn't been present during that meeting. He'd been calling up Reno and Rude, and had them take over for him in ShinRa Tower while he helped one of the new recruits chase do AVALANCHE, who'd actually stolen a helicopter and were trying to smuggle Hojo out of Midgar.

"_Where are they getting their information?!__ They knew about Hojo's specimens, they knew the floor plans for the highest part of the __building,__ they even managed to steal a chopper! They have information, and they have money. It probably really is a higher-up within the Company . . . Only they know so much, and have easy access to almost unlimited funds . . ._" Tseng thought, with an uneasy feeling. If the higher-ups were betraying them to AVALANCHE, there was no telling what might happen next.

Inside the helicopter, the leaders of AVALANCHE were showing information to Hojo, information about how to create a specially enhanced SOLDIER, going from what they already knew about how SOLDIERs were engineered and adding to that the investigations done by leader Fuhito himself.

The AVALANCHE leader was a brilliant scientific mind, as sharp and unscrupulous as Hojo himself. Hojo was very impressed by Fuhito's findings, and was curious to try them out in his own lab.

Tseng's attention snapped back to the escaping chopper. It had been flying erratically for the last few minutes, but now they saw one of AVALANCHE's operatives jump out. While the rookie beside him pondered why, Tseng's focus was drawn to a smaller object the operative threw down.

It had been a bomb, exploding with a terrific burst of fire. The road was destroyed, and Tseng lost control of the truck he was driving. He crashed, and in the cacophony of crunching metal and breaking glass, he lost sight of the rookie.

The truck came to rest at the bottom of a deep crater caused by the bomb's explosion. Tseng shook his head to clear it, and began the difficult task of getting out of there, wanting to hurry as he heard the AVALANCHE operative engage the rookie. The sounds only got worse. He heard the chopper come back down, most likely to recover the operative. Then, as he was almost to the top, he heard an awful roar.

When he finally made it out, Tseng's only wish was to find himself back at the bottom of the pit, as he saw an enormous dragon rear back to deliver the finishing strike to the wounded rookie.

But then there was a bright flash, and the dragon flopped back to earth, cleaved in half by an awesome force. Tseng looked past the ruins of what used to be a dragon and saw Sephiroth, his Masamune katana drawn in battle posture. He shot several fiery bursts at the AVALANCHE helicopter, which shuddered in the air and began faltering, yet managed to get away.

Apparently, Hojo had managed to escape when the chopper landed to pick up their operative, but the expression on his face was disquieting to Tseng. "_He looks excited: he's__ thrilled about something . . . he doesn't look like someone who's been kidnapped . . ._" the Wutaian Turk thought, frowning at the scientist.

A while later, up at the Infirmary, Veld visited the wounded rookie. It was the one who had been so impressed by Reno he had chosen the ElectroMagnetic Rod as his primary weapon. He seemed a bit upset at not being able to put up a better fight against the dragon, at having to have such obvious proof about SOLDIER's brutal strength. As Veld was about to leave, another rookie called to him.

It was the young woman who'd listened in on Hojo's conversation with AVALANCHE in his laboratory earlier. She told Veld all she's heard, the disquieting revelation that AVALANCHE had released the specimens, that they were trying to lure Hojo to work with them under the promise that Hojo would have more 'specimens' to test new procedures on.

The procedures the rookie told Veld about were conducive to making enhanced humans, much more so than SOLDIER. Indeed, AVALANCHE had built on SOLDIER's foundation to make a more advanced one. The rookie had had to fight one of these super-SOLDIERs, and the only way she managed to take him down was by throwing him into a furnace.

With these disturbing thoughts in mind, Veld decided to keep a closer watch on Hojo than on the other executives. With what he'd learned, he'd begun to focus on Hojo as the possible leak.

* * *

Reno came into the apartment late at night. It was almost 2 in the morning, and he wasn't going to drive down to Camryn's only to go back to work in a few more hours. He was fairly disappointed by this; he'd been looking forward to spending the night at Camryn's that day. 

He unlocked the door quietly, not wanting to wake Miyuki up and have her annoyed at him. It was a useless effort, as when he stepped into the room he shared with Miyuki, he was assaulted by delicious smells.

Salivating already, he called out, "Hey, Ki-bird! Whatcha making?" He kicked off his shoes and tossed his jacket away, hearing his roommate answer, "Fish, noodles in peanut sauce, some white rice and _miso_." Groaning with sudden hunger, Reno walked into the kitchen. Miyuki was stirring the _wok_, poking the noodles with a pair of chopsticks to check for doneness.

She glanced at him, "Hey, Slim. I thought you'd gone out tonight." Reno made a face, "Eh, got swamped with work. Wasn't about to show up at my girlfriend's at this hour. I like my balls right where they are, thanks very much."

Miyuki chortled, "Yeah, if she's a hardworking girl, she'll hate putting up with you at this hour." Reno made a mock-sad sound, "Aww" and began adding some more rice to the rice steamer. Miyuki arched an eyebrow, "You hungry?" He nodded, "Yeah. And this smells insanely good."

Miyuki grinned, "Yeah, I finished cleaning up Hojo's lab a half hour ago, and I was creeped-out and hungry, so the Sexy Wutaian's Midnight Cafeteria is open for business." She added some more noodles to the peanut sauce and continued stirring, and instructed, "OK, so I need you to add some more broth to the _miso_. You're gonna want some fish too, I imagine. Is this enough, or do you want me to fix you another fish?"

Reno looked at the fish she was cooking, again groaning hungrily at the golden-brown, whole fish. Miyuki snickered, "OK, so give me another fish from the fridge." Reno grinned and kissed the side of her head, "Oh, baby, you rule! You're like my super-smart and sexy cook-a-licious girlfriend in all aspects but one!"

Miyuki laughed, "Yeah, yeah, you're just saying that 'cause I'm feeding your starving ass in the middle of the night." Reno laughed, seasoning the fish he'd taken out of the refrigerator, "Nah, baby! I really _do_ love you! The midnight snack's just the icing on the cake!"

Later, when they sat eating, Miyuki asked, "So, Reno, old buddy-old pal- old friend . . . What's this girlfriend you mentioned earlier? You seeing someone seriously again?" Reno arched his eyebrows and carefully chewed his bite of crispy fish.

Finally, he swallowed and began, "Well . . . I sorta am . . . I dunno, Ki-bird. Sometimes it's just like we're . . . you know, nothing more than fuck-buddies. No dates, no gifts, nothing formal like that. Usually, only like a phone call every other day, booty call a couple of times a week."

He sipped the wine he'd poured for them earlier and shrugged, "But then, other times it just seems so good . . . like we don't go on dates because we don't need them, like things are so incredible without the whole gift-date ritual."

Miyuki had been carefully watching his face while he spoke. Careful observation had been the key to her survival, both in the guerrilla, when her life depended on correct interpretation of her higher-up's moods and intentions, and in ShinRa Company, when early on, when she hadn't yet learned the language, she'd had to interpret tones and syllables correctly in order to learn.

When Reno had mentioned the reasons he and his friend were nothing serious, Reno had looked out the window, not facing her. Miyuki interpreted that as something he didn't really give much thought to, but now that the subject was there, he couldn't take his mind off it.

However, when he'd said the reasons that certain lady was special, Miyuki noticed two things. One, the way Reno turned to face her, indirectly as though it was, as he'd been sipping his wine. Two, the way he'd smiled. Softly, to himself, unaware he was doing it.

Arching her eyebrows at what her interpretation of that smile told her, Miyuki prodded her roommate, "But do you ever go there and not have sex? 'Cause I think that's how you know. If you do go there and not have to have sex, to, I dunno, _validate_ somehow your being there, then I think you're in a relationship of sorts."

Reno grinned and slurped a noodle, "Yeah, I've stayed over loads of times when we don't really have sex. But it's kinda strange for us, I guess you'd call us nymphomaniacs. Sex is to me and that girl what, I dunno, marshmallows are for some people. It's like a comfort thing. We fuck when we're bored, or sad, or lonely. I think she's good in bed, and _she_ thinks _I'm_ good in bed, so whenever we're not in an actual relationship, we go back to each other."

Miyuki nodded her head, "OK, fair enough. I did that same 'safety in sex' thing a lot when I first got here, but . . ." Reno smirked, "Oh, you naughty girl. _But_ . . ." She continued, smiling as well, "_But_ . . . How long have you two been together?"

Reno made a cheerful sort of face at her, "Oh, wow . . . We've known each other for _years_ now. Since Slum 3. We've been on a fuck-buddy basis for a couple of years. I dunno, Yuki. We're sorta fucked up. That Slum fucks up whatever you think is normal."

Miyuki dipped a small ball of rice into her bowl of _miso_ and shook her head, "I don't really know how to help you, Slim. I really don't. Seriously, look at me. I'm like the queen of Anti-Relationships."

Reno snickered, "How come? I thought you and Rude could carry something out." Miyuki made a face, "With the big guy? No offense, but _Hell No_!" Reno laughed, "Why not? He's a cool guy." Miyuki shrugged, "Yeah, he's adorable, and a really hot piece of action-" Reno yelled for her to stop, and Miyuki just grinned and continued, "-but . . . I dunno. I just don't see myself like that. Not just with Rude. I just don't see myself like that . . . ever . . . and . . ."

She trailed off, looking a bit lost. Reno supplied, ". . . and you feel lonely because of it?" Miyuki gracefully put noodles into her mouth before answering, "I guess so, sort of. Even though I've gone to bed with a bunch of people I can never really remember the names of, I just can't seem to . . . you know . . . connect, sort of. It's as if we're both from different dimensions, and the only thing we can usually agree on is sex."

Reno finished his _miso_ broth, put the bowl down and asked, "Who hurt you so badly, Ki-bird?" Miyuki looked up at him quickly, brow furrowed, "Uh . . . I . . .What?" Reno put his hands up inoffensively, "I don't mean anything bad by it, sweetheart. I'm just asking. . . It just seems like someone hurt you really bad a while ago, made you think you're some sort of sub-human that doesn't deserve people's interest and, I dunno, affection. Mind you, you do behave like a demon occasionally, but you're a sweet old thing, if one takes the time to know you."

Miyuki laughed, but sobered quickly. "Oh, Reno, I don't know . . ." she sighed, pushing her hair back from her shoulders. The conversation petered out there, and they finished the meal in silence. Later, though, as Miyuki washed the dishes while Reno cleaned the counter and the stove, Miyuki resumed, "It was the leader of the guerrilla I was in. A guy named Shintaro. He . . . he used me, in more ways than the obvious."

Reno froze, knowing Miyuki was telling him something she held close to herself. She continued, "The guys didn't want a woman in the group, not even one as good as me. So Shintaro made me his woman, and everyone was so afraid of him they didn't dare argue."

"He was much older than me. I was 15. He was the one who encouraged me to hit SOLDIERs. I didn't want to make so big a statement. All I ever wanted was to keep ShinRa out of my village. And when SOLDIER caught me, I kept hoping Shintaro and the guys would try to save me, would do anything to get me out of there. I was important to the group, right?"

She laughed, and it was a wet sound, punctuated by her quiet sniffle, "Oh, fuck. I wasn't expecting the guys, really. They'd always hated me. I was really waiting for Shintaro. He was such a good talker . . . I thought I mattered to him. He'd said I was important to the group, to him."

Reno sighed and slid another cold glass of wine close to her hand. She took it, head bowed, and continued, "But there was nothing. No negotiation attempts. No more attacks on SOLDIER, not even to distract them. And after I got here to Midgar, not one single fucking _try_ to reach me. Not one."

She gulped down some of the cold, refreshing wine. "And, when I proved myself a good little Turk more than a year after I was taken, they finally allowed me to go to Wutai on a mission. After I finished and called it in, I went to see Shintaro at the old hideout. He had another woman."

"He claimed that this other woman was a respectable woman, not a whore for SOLDIER, for the ShinRa. I had dishonored him, and he regretted ever polluting his flesh and spirit with filth such as myself."

Miyuki sniffled then, the sounds muffled, and Reno knew she had covered her face with her hands. "All the things I did for him, all I sacrificed . . ." she whispered. Reno thought he knew what she was talking about. A young girl, manipulated by a man twice as old as she was, and with the poverty and lack of resources in rural Wutai . . . It was a problem many of the girls in the less-successful brothels faced.

"So now, I'm numb to it. People tell me good things, and I immediately think they're out to get something out of me. Something I don't even have. It's part of the reason I only talked to Tseng and less frequently, Rude before you came around. I just didn't see the point of going through social protocol when it was all a sham, a lie to get something out of someone."

"And I'm right. Out of all the men I've gone to bed with ever since I've been here, not one of them, _not one_, Reno, has ever hinted at wanting to be more than a fuck-buddy. Rude himself included, of course. And I like it that way. I don't ever want to go through what I did with Shintaro ever again. I never want to be played with, manipulated like that."

Reno knew she was finished, and he walked to her side. In the way he usually did with her when she cried (he knew she hated to be seen crying) he bumped his hip with hers. "C'mon, baby. We're not all bad. Kinda clueless, but not intentionally bad like that Shintaro asshole."

Miyuki snickered and bumped her hip with his, "I know, Reno. I know you're a sweet guy. I know Tseng loves me in his own fucked up way, just like Rude does. But I don't think I could go through that again. It tore me up so bad . . ." Reno put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed, "Ah, Ki-bird . . ."

Miyuki turned in his grip and hugged him around the waist, squeezing him hard, "I love you, Reno. You're actually the first guy I've ever said that to, and actually meant it, as a matter of fact." Reno cheered quietly, squeezing her in return. "So, seeing how I'm crazy about you too, any chance of me getting some action?" he asked, wanting her to react in her normal self.

She stamped her foot down on his and grumbled, "Nope. I don't do the nasty with men who already have girlfriends. And if you're smart you'll quit asking for booty from me, or else you'll lose the Sexy Wutaian's Midnight Cafeteria services."

Reno protested, "But you just said you loved me! You _admitted_ it!" Miyuki pushed him away and growled, "Listen, I said I loved you, but there's no way in hell I'm all googly-eyed _in_-love with you, so back off and leave me alone!!"

Reno scowled, "You goddamn tease . . ." Miyuki glared at him, and saw the corners of his mouth twitching. She bit her bottom lip, trying not to laugh, "You asshole. You're being a pain in the ass!" Reno began to laugh, nodding his head, admitting the fact that he was indeed being a pain in the ass. Miyuki punched him in the arm, and began to laugh herself.

* * *

Miyuki as Dr. Phil . . . if only she didn't need a Dr. Phil herself! Anyway, I hope you guys liked it. And yes, Hojo is a dirty bastard for being actually interested in AVALANCHE's plan for Super-SOLDIERs. This will have very bad repercussions, as we'll see eventually. Anyways, let me know what you think by giving that "Review" button over there some love. 

In case it wasn't clear:

Read and Review, please!

And yes, Shintaro is an asshole. There's a whole lot of stuff I've written on Miyuki's past, tell me if you're interested and I'll put some of it up.

Reno wants to do a sexy dance for Devil Chan and I can't stop him. He's as lewd as he is redheaded.


	30. End of Year, Totally Unrelated Bonus!

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar, the slums, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix.

New Years Random Bonus!!

Re-posting due to a fkup of mine, where I left off some important people from the acknowledgements. Hope no one was ticked off . . .

As part of my recent burst of activity, here's a little of both my OCs interacting with the men important to them, for personal reasons ranging from love to just friendliness.

I like how the Reno/Cam part came out, how Reno interacts with Bren. More like big brother/little brother rather than father/son, but under the circumstances . . . Also, yeah, in this fic, Rude is supposed to be from Mideel. I read that Final Fantasy VII designer/creator/mastermind Tetsuya Nomura originally intended Rude to be ethnically similar to Southern America, and in the game, Mideel, much like Costa del Sol, seems like a tropical-like place, and pretty much everyone in Mideel is similar to Rude somehow.

Anyhow, just Read, Enjoy and (Maybe) Review!

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For some strange reason, she decided she wanted to clean house before the New Year. "_And damn if she's dragging me down with her . . ._" Reno thought, quietly dressing in her bedroom. He'd only just gotten up, surprisingly late at nearly 10:30 in the morning, an unexpected but very pleasant mini-vacation: he had most of the week off. He hadn't woken up so late since he'd become a Turk. Then, as he'd been silently marveling at the lateness of the hour, the relaxation of knowing he had nothing whatsoever to do today, and the general comfort of just laying in bed wrapped in a warm blanket, he'd heard _It_. 

The stereo, playing quietly, barely heard over _It_, which was what had woken him up in the first place, _It, It_, the accursed _It_ which he held in utmost loathing and hatred, as signs of purely female interest in torturing him with noise, chasing him out of perfectly comfortable rooms, not letting him have a moment's peace, because even when he did manage to sneak into a room having just falling prey to _It_, the horrid females would continually bother him with the noise.

Camryn was vacuuming her apartment. Reno shuddered, knowing it was just a matter of time till she made her way to where he was, assaulting him with noise and cleanliness. Miyuki had done the same thing to him the week previous, actually chasing him around the apartment with her own vacuum cleaner.

As Reno pulled on some faded green corduroys and a comfortable white sleeveless top, he heard the door open and tensed, expecting the noisy roar of _It_. Instead, he was rewarded when he saw Brendan, looking anxiously over his shoulder as he smiled at Reno. "Hey, boy. What, scared of that thing?" Brendan nodded, explaining, "It's too noisy, and Mama ran it over my feet, look!" He offered his foot to Reno, who knelt and took it in his hand. Pretending to carefully inspect the tiny toes, he sighed woefully, "Oh, Bren, my man, so young, so mangled. It's gonna be touch-and-go, but you'll probably survive."

Brendan smiled and pulled his foot out of Reno's hand, scolding, "Noo, Reno! It's not bad, I can still walk, see?" He ran a few laps around the room. Reno sat on the edge of the bed, watching the boy run. Brendan moved with more ease, more casual grace than boys his age usually did. Granted, he occasionally stumbled, and sometimes he crashed through the apartment so loudly Reno was inclined to believe it was a herd of rampaging chocobos instead of a young boy. But today, Brendan was having a good day, and as he moved, carefully avoiding obstacles in the room, Reno thought he had a slinky type of grace when running.

Brendan finished his demonstration and leaned against Reno's legs, his soft belly against Reno's shins, looking up at him with rapt attention, "I wanna go out today! You wanna?" Reno yawned and stretched his arms over his head, flopping back onto the bed, "I dunno, Bren. I'm really sleepy . . ." Brendan grumbled and struggled to get on the bed. Once he managed to, he crawled onto Reno's chest, "No fair, Reno! You can't be sleepy, you just got up!" Seeing the boy's annoyed glare, Reno burst out laughing, "Jeez, take it easy, kid! I was only joking, ya know."

Brendan smiled and poked Reno on the nose, "Mama's right, you're a silly goose." Reno frowned, but anything he might have said about Camryn's name-calling was forgotten as he realized that the accursed _It_ was nearer than it had ever been; in fact, _It_ seemed to be waiting just outside the bedroom door! The door flew open, and mixed with the wheezy roar of the hoary machine came Camryn's voice, "Alright, outta the room! I'm gonna vacuum, and for God's sake, Reno! Do you have to make such a mess with your clothes all over the place? Look at this! And you haven't even made the bed!"

Reno looked at Brendan, while the boy goggled back at him, and they both did the exact same thing: they screamed and scrambled out of the room. Brendan slipped between Camryn's legs and was successful, but Reno wasn't so lucky: Camryn managed to grab the back of his cords and held him back, turning the machine off. Reno whined, "No fair, you let the boy go!" Camryn smiled and put her hands around his slender hips, bringing him closer. She tip-toed forward and kissed him, playfully nibbling on is bottom lip with her teeth. Reno stopped grumbling and kissed her back, smiling against her mouth, "Mmm, so you're not really pissed off?"

Camryn pulled back from the kiss and grinned, "Nah, that was just to sweeten you up a little. There's some breakfast in the microwave. Eat it, and then you'll help me out here, and then we'll go out for ice-cream or something." Reno made a face, "You mean you only kissed me so I wouldn't mind you ordering me around? Devil woman!" Camryn smiled and kissed him again, this time reaching around behind him to squeeze his butt affectionately. "That's exactly what I'm doing, Reno darling," she whispered, pulling away once more. Reno moistened his lips, eyes half-closed, "Goddamn, you're a good kisser . . . Alright, I'll let you order me around. But I'll put up resistance whenever I can!" Camryn laughed and pinched his cheek softly, "OK, and I'll just rope you into helping me whenever you put up a fight." She hugged him and dramatically whispered, "Come over to the dark side, Reno . . ."

He burst out laughing, and they both turned towards Brendan, who asked, "What so funny? Let's go feed birds!" Camryn stroked her son's hair, "Sorry, kiddo. Let's clean the apartment first, then we'll go out. We want a clean house for New Years, right?" Brendan frowned at her, "Not me. I want fireworks." Reno cheered, "Yay! Pyrotechnic obsession at such a young age! I'm proud of you, boy!" Camryn scolded, "No thanks to you, most likely!"

She grumbled something about strapping Reno to a rocket, and Brendan to a smaller one, and bring in the New Year with a bang as she blew both immature children to kingdom come, but Reno was mock-wrestling with Brendan on the clean floor out in the hallway.

* * *

In ShinRa Tower, Miyuki sighed dramatically and flopped onto Tseng's couch. Sparing her an annoyed glance, Tseng asked, "So, what's the story?" Miyuki looked at him from out the corner of her eye, "What, Tseng? Why am I here?" He nodded, and Miyuki rifled through a guns and ammunition magazine he'd left on the couch. "No reason, really . . . except we're the only Turks here. Rude's out in Mideel, doing his thing . . . Reno's out there spreading chaos and fear, most likely . . . Rufus is in Junon . . . I dunno where Zack is . . . We're pathetic, really! No family, just here in lovely, old ShinRa Tower . . . Oh, _Tseng_! Girly magazines!" 

Tseng walked over to the back of the couch, "What?" She knelt on her cushion and showed him an ad featuring a scantily clad woman holding guns. Tseng stifled a smile, and shrugged. Miyuki grinned, "Men and their guns . . . _Mine's bigger than yours! __Haha__, but mine has more FIREPOWER, my good man, and in the end, isn't that what __the ladies look for_" Tseng burst out laughing, both at the humorous mock-dialogue, and at the way Miyuki acted it out, ending by waggling her brows suggestively.

He shook his head, "My God, still an idiot." She nodded good-naturedly, "But a funny one, right?" Tseng sat next to her, "Yeah, a funny one." Miyuki sighed, "You know what's funny, _sempai_? Being both Wutaians living in Midgar, we have two New Year celebrations. If, at any point in January, we decide the resolutions we made in December aren't working out so good, we get to make entirely new ones for the Wutai new Years in February." Tseng toasted her with his mug of coffee, "Hear, hear. Although really, is it actually worth it? I mean, making resolutions we're never going to realistically accomplish?"

Miyuki shrugged, "Speak for yourself. I always complete my New Years resolutions." Tseng smirked, "What, the resolution you always make to get drunk enough to pass out without making a total ass of yourself?" She grinned and nodded, "Exactly!" Tseng nodded, "Yeah, you are a reasonably well-behaved drunk . . . Except when you're hanging out with Reno . . . then all semblance of good sense and reason vanishes entirely."

He looked at her, so physically similar to himself, yet at the same time, so inexpressibly different. She returned his stare, and asked, "Why are you so different, Tseng, in the way you act with me? Out with the guys, you're all business-like, but in here, it's so different." Tseng sighed and tilted his head back, "It's not just with you, Miyuki. I'm like this with everyone. I don't know why," he added, seeing her about to ask, "I would guess it's because it cost me so much, to get where I am, being Wutaian. I can't allow for familiarity and jokes out on the field, when my behavior is so scrutinized. There's a lot of people wanting me out of my job, and I can't always count on Veld to watch my back."

Miyuki rearranged her long legs on the couch, making herself more comfortable. She grumbled, "I guess I understand that, but I still liked you better before you got promoted." Tseng grinned, "Two half-crazed Wutaians, running amok in ShinRa Tower . . . it was fun, right?" Miyuki laughed, sounding a bit sad as she muttered, "Yeah, it was . . . Do you miss it?" He nodded, "Sometimes. Sometimes I miss the random acts of stupidity, of having to teach you the Midgar language, but you've come a long way, Miyuki. Don't tell me you miss being the rookie."

She shook her head, "God, no, I don't miss the time I couldn't fit in, when I had no idea what people were saying to me, when the food and the air here made me sick all day. What I miss was . . . I guess I miss the way you acted with me. You didn't use to be so cold." Tseng frowned, "I'm not cold, Miyuki. At least, not intentionally. Thing is, I used to be very attentive of you, making sure you understood the language and began to fit in. Once you did, I backed off. I'm . . . I'm sorry, if it seemed like I was cold towards you."

Miyuki grinned, "Oh, I don't think you've _ever_ apologized to anyone for your frigidity, Tseng! I'm flattered!" Then, she sobered, "It's OK, I guess, when you put it that way. You don't have to apologize." Tseng gave her an annoyed yet begrudgingly good-natured look, and told her, "I _do_ miss being roommates with you. Those midnight meals were awesome."

Miyuki grinned, "Yeah, I miss having you over for dinner. I cook for Reno, now." Seeing Tseng arch an eyebrow questioningly, she added, "He's OK, he's an adventurous eater . . . I gave him tofu the other day, and he ate all of it without even asking what it was. When I told him later that it was basically fermented soybeans, he looked kinda green." Tseng snickered when she continued, "He has this damnable obsession with getting me to eat cheese, though . . ." He asked, "What, you still don't like cheese?" She shook her head, "Nope. It's just so smelly. I guess I'm OK with, you know, mozzarella sticks, because they don't smell like cheese, and they have that red sauce to dip them with. But any other cheese, nuh-uh, makes me sick."

Like most ethnic Wutaians, Miyuki had an aversion to dairy products, stemming primarily from the lack of cows in the region of Wutai she was from. Tseng himself had hated dairy products as a boy, but growing up in Midgar, he'd eventually gotten over most of his aversion (even though the smellier the cheese, the less he liked it).

Tseng shrugged, "If you can get Reno to eat fermented soybeans, he'll probably get you to eat fermented milk products." She gave him a frustrated look, "God knows he insists on it enough. I'll make him a deal. If he can eat something very ethnic Wutaian, I'll eat some of the damned cheese. I just gotta figure out something really nasty-seeming to him, something he'll back out of . . . What's the nastiest things Wutaians eat from a Midgar point of view?"

He grinned, "Oh, jeez, I don't know . . . Southern Wutaians eat grubs, right?" Miyuki made a face, "Yeah, but I don't know how to fix them . . . that's not the region I'm from . . . try Southwest Wutai . . . Maybe frog?" Tseng smiled, "Yeah, you guys are frog-eaters!" Miyuki grinned, "Clean and skin them, fry them up with some fire-oil . . . Num-num!" That made Tseng laugh, and in his laughter, he heard Miyuki gloat, "Ooh, Reno's gonna _freak_ when he comes for dinner and sees fried frog!"

* * *

A/N: Yup, so here's a Holiday's Bonus for you guys! You got some happy relaxation time for Reno, Cam and Bren, and some End of Year reflection for Tseng and Miyuki. More on that on Miyuki's Story later on, but yes, initially, Tseng was roomies with Miyuki, to help her fit in with the Turks when she first arrived (Why'd you think she had a double room apartment in the first place?) 

As for Miyuki's wanting to make a deal with Reno, an "I'll eat a hunk of cheese if you eat a fried frog" kind of thing . . . We'll see how that turns out! BTW, fire oil is a really spicy oil used in cooking in Chinese/Thai/Asian cuisine. And grubs and fried frogs are indeed part of Asian cuisine . . . God Bless Andrew Zimmern. If you have no idea who he is, do a search.

So, you Read, and if you got this far, I hope you've Enjoyed, now, Review!

Happiest of Holidays to all of you, and thanks for sticking it out with me so far! It really means a lot. This fic is more than a year old, already! W00T!!

Special End-Of-Year shout-out to the readers and reviewers, most notably and specifically: Rei Shinra, Magnum .44mm, Devil chan, Jeanne and her Alters, Mister Bigbucks, CCKXS, renoismydrug, Nameless Sinner, Jetsir, itachi349, gurlgamer87 and last but not least, Stealthy-Ninja-Yuffie. Keep on rockin'!

There's a reason this Author's Note is so damn long, aside from my gratitude towards the readers and reviewers, and that would be . . .

An Omake!!

* * *

_Tseng stands in the middle of the Turk Lounge, looking slightly uncomfortable, eyes darting to the person holding the camera and not looking specifically at the camera itself._

"Is it on? Yeah? OK. Man, Rufus is much better at this than I am . . . Oh, shi-!" Tseng gave the camera a cursory and completely fake smile, and began, "Hello. Here in ShinRa Electric Company, we are concerned for your safety. Yes, even us in the Administrative Research Department, or as you probably know us, the Turks. During this holiday season, we encourage you to stay away from dangerous explosives, and to please, drink responsibly. Not like these guys,"

_Tseng motions for the camera to swing around. Upon doing so, the camera captures an awesome sight: Reno and Miyuki, cheering loudly (and very drunkenly)._

"WHOOOO!! Turks, #1! Turks, #1!!" Reno yells, pointing a small bottle rocket at the camera. For some strange reason, he is finally wearing a tie. Even though it is currently tied around his head, bandanna-style. Miyuki, on the other hand, is yelling something in Wutaian, putting a lit match to the rocket's fuse. God knows where her jacket is, and apparently, the tie Reno has around his head is hers. "_Nee_, _sempai_, what is it, you camera shy? Hah! You're nowhere _half_ the camera whore ShinRa is! Wha- he's right where?"

_Tseng's voice, off-camera and sounding absolutely terrified,_ "He's right behind you, you dumb shit!"

_Reno screams in panic, and tries to run away, but Miyuki grabs him, _"No way, Slim! I go down, I'll take you with me!" _Reno has let go of the __rocket,__ and it flies off and blows up with a terrific 'BOOM', filling the room with wispy white smoke._

_Camera focuses on Rufus ShinRa, who's wearing pajamas and looks slightly drunk himself, although he's glaring at Miyuki._

"Camera whore, am I?" he asks, frowning. Miyuki, who's managed to throw Reno to the floor and is currently sitting on his back to keep him from getting up, nods defiantly, "Yeah! You're a camera whore! Eye candy for the masses!"

_Tseng hisses, off-screen,_ "Rude, cut the tape! _Cut the fucking tape!!_" _Rude, the heretofore unnamed cameraman, questions, _"You sure? This could be evidence, if the shit really does hit the fan."

_Off-camera, Reno, Rufus and Miyuki are loudly singing the chorus of "_Auld Lang Sine_" Tseng smiles at Rude nervously, "_O . . .K . . . Crisis seems to have been averted . . . Happy Holidays, and a Very Happy New Year for Everyone! There, you happy? Will you please cut the tape _now_? I want some egg nog . . ._" _


	31. The Nibelheim Incident, Pt 1

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Hey guys!!

I know there's no excuse, really, but I will say this in my defense:

I am moving out of my current residence, I'm gonna get a laser surgery of some kind to see if I can save myself a new pair of glasses every year, and to afford said operation, I've been translating security manuals for local hospitals and businesses. I've saved money!! (And story material! I've been writing in notebooks.)

Anywhoo, I am so sorry, and here's your update. Kisses!

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar, the slums, Nibelheim, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix. The translations from the Before Crisis handheld game belong to Dark Angel over at the Gunshot Romance webpage. What does belong to me are my Original Characters, Camryn and Miyuki, and the story itself.

Again, the chapter is sort of divided in two. The first half is all mine, and the latter part(but mostly the next chapter),an incident described in detail in Dark Angel's kickass translations (Chapter 12 & 13, if you want to head over to Gunshot Romance and read it yourselves, which you definitely should) .

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_**September 20, 0002**_

"Hi, sexy boy," Camryn greeted him, causing Reno to smile faintly to himself as he responded, "Hi, sexy girl. How you doing?" Camryn let out a small breath through her nose, "I'm OK, babe. Tired. How 'bout you, how's my favorite redhead?" Reno snickered, "I'm the _only _redhead you know!" Cam snickered, "Yup, so that means you're the favorite, by default!" Reno made a sound of agreement and commented, "Yeah. I'm OK. Tired too. Just got finished here, and I sort of lost track of time calling you now." Camryn glanced at the clock on the side of the building across the street from the Honey Bee, saw it was close to midnight. "Aw, c'mon, babe. You know exactly what time it is. That's why you're calling me, isn't it?" she teased, earning an amused laugh from him, "Yeah, I know. It's almost midnight, and you just got out of work, at the usual time on a slow Tuesday night." Camryn scoffed, "Creepy, stalker, paranoid, delusional . . ." Reno defended himself, "Hey, stop, I'm just not crazy about the idea of my girl making her way out of the red-light district by herself at this hour."

Camryn grinned to herself, a pleasant flutter in her stomach over the way Reno said 'my girl'.

"Mmm, I miss you, baby," she whined, putting on a playful pout, "Why are you all the way up there in ShinRa Tower and not waiting for me at home, in bed, wearing nothing but a smile?" Reno laughed, "Ooh, you're such a perv . . . I miss you too, honey, but these last few days have been like a mini-tour of administrative hell. Lot, lots, _lots_ of paperwork . . . lots of incidents, too, come to think of it . . ." he mused, and then proceeded to rant, "Been cooped up here forever, Tseng's the only one hitting the field right now . . . lucky bastard . . . Dammit, I need to get some action, you know, pick a fight, or-Hey! I need to get _laid_!" Cam snickered, stepping close to the entrance to one of the ShinRa-owned elevators Reno had gotten her the keycard for. "Well, what'cha waiting for? _Come to Mama, sweet stuff!_" Cam drawled, making Reno laugh. "Anyway, have to go. I'm at the elevator now. You know I'll lose the signal in there." Reno acknowledged, "Sure thing, Cam. Talk to you later. Oh, and I hope you got an umbrella or something." Camryn groaned, "Aww, it's raining!? I can't believe it . . ." Reno laughed and rang off.

Camryn sighed, entering the elevator and punching the button. As the elevator slowly groaned its way upwards, she looked out the glass panel, at the slums of Sector 6. She was tired, but not so exhausted that she was dead on her feet. Thinking she'd warm up some soup while she took a hot shower, Cam nonetheless missed Reno with a pang. Like he'd said, there had been several incidents, which was 'Reno-of-the-Turks' speak for saying 'really violent events in which people ended up being hurt'. He'd talked to her about some of it, how it concerned some Turks who'd gone missing, and how it had been a former SOLDIER who'd killed them. There were also several investigations the Turks were responsible for, and she recognized it was like Reno said, "A spy's job is never done."

But that didn't mean that she couldn't miss him, if only just a little. If only just a lot more than she wanted to admit to herself.

Up in ShinRa Tower, Reno glanced to make sure he was still all alone in the deserted corridor, one of the infamous "black spots" where there were no surveillance cameras or sound-activated bugs. It was completely solitary, and Reno, like Cam, approached a window and looked out on the great metropolis that was Midgar. "_It really is a good town,_" he thought, feeling an affinity with his hometown. Love it or hate it, Midgar really seemed to be at the center of everything. As awful as the slums had been, Reno knew he wouldn't be the person he was today if not for those experiences. There would be no way he could be a Turk, if he'd been, say, born to the Chocobo farm beyond Kalm. In a weird way, he was grateful to his hometown. A hometown that had been threatened before, but always managed to stand its ground. More recently, however, the onslaught against his fair city was escalating, and it had gotten to the point that Veld himself had disappeared, only telling Tseng that he would be gone to investigate some administrative affairs, do some undercover Turk work, as it were. Reno glanced at his watch, saw Cam had to be just exiting the elevator. He called her again, smiling in anticipation of her answer.

"Ugh, leave me _alone_, you creepy stalker Turk thingy!" she groaned, although she snickered. Reno laughed as well, "Oooh, there is no escape, once the Turks set their sights on you!" She made a small 'tch' sound, panting lightly as she hurried to her apartment building. When she'd gone down to work, it had been cloudy, windy. Now, a faint, cold drizzle came in with the sudden, strong gusts of wind. Shivering with cold, Cam ran the rest of the way to her apartment, hearing Reno tease, "Hey, you winded already? I thought the 'Bee kept its strippers in shape!" Camryn laughed, "Shut up, you freak! I'm getting soaked, and you're not helping . . . God_damn_, but it's freezing!" She finally reached the lobby of her building, "There. I'm safe and sound in the building." Reno gave a mild, quiet cheer that Cam personally thought sounded just a bit sad.

He was. The fact that she'd reached her apartment meant their conversation would be over soon. Reno gave a quiet sigh, "OK, babydoll, my work here is done. Go upstairs, get dried out and go to bed." Camryn chose to climb the stairs, if only to keep Reno on the line for a few minutes longer, "I will, honeypie." He asked, "Where's the little guy, with the babysitter?" Camryn nodded, and realized he couldn't see her, "Yeah. I'm gonna get my little man now. Who says I live by myself? I got a big strong man with me!" Reno chuckled, murmuring, "I miss talking with him. Every time I call he's either napping or at the babysitter's already." Cam made a winded 'Aww' sound, and Reno teased again, "Ha, ha, baby's getting tired!" She got to her floor, "Man, but you're an annoying bastard sometimes . . ." Reno agreed, "Yeah . . . so . . . I guess this is it . . ." Camryn paced the top of the stairwell, close to the door to the babysitter's apartment, "I guess so . . . Call me tomorrow, yeah? I'll make sure Bren's awake to say hi." The Turk acknowledged, "I'll call, baby, I promise. 'Night, sweet-face." She smiled, "OK. 'Night, funny-face."

She closed her PHS and went to get her son, thinking she'd have at least _some_ part of Reno with her tonight.

Reno, for his own part, went into the apartment he shared with Miyuki. He was very quiet, still feeling faintly sad at not seeing Cam or Brendan. There was no need for him to be silent, as Miyuki was watching TV. It seemed to be a sitcom, one of those TV programs she always said she hated, but when there was nothing else on, she watched them anyway. She poked her head up the back of the sofa, looking for all the world like one of those gopher-creatures that attacked you out on the Costa del Sol flatlands. Reno snickered, earning himself a glare from the sniper, "Umm, what's so funny, Stickman?" Reno closed the door, "You looked like one of those little gophers out in Costa." Miyuki smiled, a rare enough occurrence that Reno arched his eyebrows, "Huh." She shrugged, turning back to her show, "Get over here, Red." Peeling off his jacket and kicking off his shoes, Reno sat beside her, even more pleasantly surprised when Miyuki curled on her side, her head on his leg. Reno petted her hair, scratching her scalp, and Miyuki turned off the TV, murmuring, "Fucking canned laughter, can't stand it . . ."

Reno was content to sit there petting her hair, thinking how different it felt, these heavy, straight strands, when compared to Camryn's thick, wavy mess, when he heard Miyuki ask something. "What was that, Bird?" he asked, and Miyuki replied, "I said, What'cha sad about, Red?" Reno gave her hair a gentle tug, "None of your beeswax, roomie." Miyuki was silent for a few minutes, and then she persisted, "Broke up with your girlfriend?" Reno snickered and echoed Camryn's earlier comment, "Jeez, you're an annoying bastard. No. It's just that with all the things happening recently . . ." Miyuki finished, "Too late to go over there, and too tired to do much about it." Reno spun tendrils of chestnut-brown hair between his fingers, "Abso-fuckin'-lutely."

Miyuki yawned and Reno smiled, he knew it made her sleepy to have her hair petted like that. Camryn was very much the same. "Is this like girl-kryptonite or something?" he asked, making Miyuki snicker, "Why? Your girl likes it too?" Reno nodded, "Yup." She sat up and began to say something, but there was a loud knock on the door. Frowning, Miyuki went to get it, and saw Rude, who looked tired and upset. "Hi, big guy," Miyuki offered, but Rude went straight to the point, "We're needed in Nibelheim tomorrow. Or, Reno is. Miyuki, you're to go past Nibelheim and hold up Rocket Town's assembly. They were going to receive the President for a public function, but we're going to have to postpone on that." Reno also got up, "But . . . weren't Sephiroth and Zack sent to Nibelheim by the President recently?" Rude nodded, "Yeah. Tseng couldn't stop it from happening, since Veld won't show up. It seems the Mount Nibel reactor is overrun by monsters, and to make matters worse, Sephiroth keeps acting strangely. He's locked himself in the ShinRa mansion there and won't come out. And for some reason, Hojo decided to come along."

He glanced at Miyuki, who offered him a mug of coffee, looking herself pale as she asked, "But is everyone OK?" Rude took the coffee gratefully and tilted his head, "Depends. They lost a couple of MPs along the way. There is some anti-ShinRa sentiment in that town. And Tseng is going crazy; Veld still hasn't shown up or given any of us any messages or orders." Reno frowned, "But no one really knows where he is, not even Tseng?" Rude nodded, "Not even Tseng. It's nothing he can't handle, but he's jumpy at Veld's disappearing act. Anyways, Tseng called, told me to let you know the change in orders. He's been there for a few days now, with a bunch of rookies. We leave first thing tomorrow, at 0600 hours with a few rookies, to relieve the ones already performing investigations there. We're looking at a full day of air travel. We'll be getting into Nibelheim at maybe 1700 hours, local time. Add two hours to that for Miyuki to get to Rocket Town. My suggestion, as a veteran Turk: get some sleep." Both off-duty Turks nodded, and Reno gestured, "Right back at ya, man. You look beat." Rude shrugged, "I was active all day down in Sector 8. Still, remember what I said. We'll meet up at the helipad up at the rooftop." With that, he handed the still half-full cup of coffee to Miyuki and left.

She sighed, "Man, where the fuck did Veld go off to? _Senpai_ and Rude are running themselves down. . ." Reno stretched and yawned, "I dunno, Bird. Any-hoo, I'm gonna crash. You OK?" Miyuki tried for nonchalance, "What're you talking about, Twiggy?" Reno arched an eyebrow, "C'mon, you looked scared back when Rude told us something's going down in Nibelheim." She made a face, "You're too smart for your own damn good . . ." Reno grinned, unbuttoning his shirt, "One of my many talents. So what gives? Worried about the SOLDIER?" She nodded faintly, "Yeah. Fair's a good guy." Then she half-closed her eyes, "Oh, for the love of Ifrit, Reno, how are we gonna manage that creepy asshole Hojo for that long-ass trip?" Reno snickered, "I don't know, Bird. He's weird, right? Anyway, bed-time."

* * *

_**September 21, 0002**_

The next day, they had no sooner reached Nibel airspace, they received a frantic call from Tseng. Something terrifying had happened in Nibelheim. Tseng's voice sounded scratchy, the electronic equipment of the helicopter interfering with the signal. "-_set fire to the goddamn town_-. . . -_need you guys here!_" he tried to organize his team. Rude had no idea what had happened, only that it had to be something horrible to make Tseng sound like that. All questions were answered when Reno muttered, "Son of a _bitch!_" Rude gaped at the thick pillar of smoke rising from the ground, from what they knew was the Nibelheim township.

Woot! Update, FINALLY!! See you guys soon (I promise!!)


	32. The Nibelheim Incident, Pt 2

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar, the slums, Nibelheim, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix. The translations from the Before Crisis handheld game belong to Dark Angel over at the Gunshot Romance webpage. What does belong to me are my Original Characters, Camryn, Brendan and Miyuki, and the story itself.

This chapter deals with the whole Nibelheim event, what with Sephiroth going cuckoo, the whole cover-up, and some events that are purely Turk related, and as such, not really covered in Crisis Core (Good game, by the way! I am _obsessed_ with completing 100 on the missions_._) Therefore, I relied on Dark Angel's translations. Most of Veld's, Hojo's and some of Tseng and the Turks's dialogues are adapted from that source. Again, the chapter is described in detail in Dark Angel's kickass translations (Chapter 12 & 13, if you want to head over to Gunshot Romance and read it yourselves, which you definitely should) . Kisses!!

* * *

_**September 21, 0002**_

Tseng's voice sounded scratchy, the electronic equipment of the helicopter interfering with the signal. "-_set fire to the goddamn town_-. . . -_need you guys here!_"

The Turks gaped at the thick pillar of smoke rising from the ground, from what they knew was the Nibelheim township. What was worse, they heard the transmission from one of the rookies who'd been in the reactor, "Sephiroth fell into the Mako. He's probably dead."

Hojo looked almost unhealthily interested as he asked about this serious turn of events. Reno looked at Rude, who wore a grim expression. Miyuki looked uncharacteristically anxious as she quietly asked, "This is too much, we can't possibly cover this one up, guys, not with Veld missing." Rude squeezed her shoulder, "He'll be there. He's never let us down." The sniper still looked uncomfortable, and Reno asked, "What is it, Yuki, the cover-up? We have to do it. This shit can't get out to the public." She nodded, "I know . . ." but she still looked shocked and nervous.

After one of the most nerve-wracking helicopter rides ever, the chopper finally set down, rotors still spinning swiftly. Miyuki asked Rude, "You sure you don't need me here? This is a fucking mess!" Rude, remembering Tseng hurried warning that Miyuki was unpredictable, that she shouldn't be in Nibelheim, told her, "No. We'll be fine. Go on to Rocket Town." He could see she didn't believe him, that Rocket Town was a diversion, that she wasn't wanted here for some reason. Rude stared back at her, and Reno pulled on his shoulder, "C'mon, big guy, let's go." They walked away from the chopper and watched as it rose in the air, until Miyuki's face was but a pale oval inside the murky cabin of the helicopter, and even then the smoke and the mist finished covering the helicopter from view. Rude sighed dolefully, and Reno admitted, "It sucks having to lie to her. I know. But we don't know how she'll react when she knows what's gonna happen to Fair." Rude nodded, and the Turks escorted Hojo down to the township, where they saw Tseng, who was talking to the rookie Reno himself had caught. Reno grinned at the young man, "Hey kid," and the rookie, firing off a cocky smirk at Reno, nonetheless frowned, catching sight of Hojo, and asked Tseng, "Tseng, why is the Doctor here?" And the Turk Field Leader's expression was closed as he replied, "He said he wanted to come . . ." The rookie prompted, "Tseng?" The Wutaian drew in a quick breath and said, "No, it's nothing. We've received special top secret orders from the President." The rookie asked about the orders in a surprised, eager tone. Tseng thought, "_They haven't learned that Special Orders involve risky operations . . . God, I wish I were still that young and naïve sometimes . . ._" but out loud, he replied, "I'll explain later. For now, just go back to town and check in with Reno and Rude. They're rescuing the injured townspeople."

The rookie left, leaving Tseng feeling strangely lonely as the Science team gathered evidence and strapped the injured SOLDIER and MP into stretchers. With a pang, he recognized Zack Fair, his liaison with SOLDIER, a good man who'd helped him during the Genesis and Angeal defections. Knowing what the orders were, what the orders would let Hojo do to these men, to Zack, prompted Tseng to approach Hojo. Doctor Hojo asked, casting his eyes about greedily, as if he was enjoying the carnage in the reactor, "How is the cleanup going?" Tseng explained, "They've already begun. Sir… Is it really necessary to go this far?"

Hojo merely gave him a sideways look and smiled, "Your opinions are of no consequence." Tseng's expression darkened, and again he looked at the unconscious SOLDIER, wishing things could be different. But Hojo's authority far surpassed his own. He couldn't help Fair. He wondered how he'd keep this from Miyuki, whom he knew saw Fair as one of her few friends, and from Cissnei, who was halfway around the world on another mission. Not to mention the remaining SOLDIER troops, who'd be severely demoralized, seeing how in less than 10 years, they lost their team scientist Hollander, SOLDIER First Class operatives Genesis, Angeal and now, Sephiroth and Zack as well.

Meanwhile, Veld had accompanied the rookie to the ShinRa manor, house of horrors, of bad memories and the shadow of lurking evil. No wonder everyone in Nibelheim thought the mansion to be haunted. "_It __**is **__haunted . . . it's haunted by the past, what these walls have witnessed. Myself . . . my family . . . Vincent . . ._" Veld thought, as corridor after corridor, from the attic to the sub-basements below, this house was nothing more than a sham, a façade. It was no comfortable abode for the wealthy; it was a scientific laboratory. Veld remembered, and the house itself gleefully reminded him of what had happened to him, to his family. An error of communication. He'd meant to say the target for the bombing to be 50 kilometers north of Kalm, but the military had misheard: had misheard, and not bothered to clarify, just as Veld failed to find a suitable place to call back and clarify his orders.

And Kalm had burned.

Kalm had burned, and his wife and daughter were transferred to Nibelheim, where Hojo kept some his most advanced scientific equipment, and there they'd died, all because he'd given the orders wrong, because of an error in message transmission.

And life had gone on.

ShinRa Company had paid off the witnesses, took care of the survivors, rebuilt Kalm bigger and better than before, offering tremendous stipends for those who moved from Midgar over to the quaint, lovely town Veld had once called home.

Seeing the rookie flail at her responsibilities, show weakness in the face of adversity, Veld meant to strengthen her, to bolster her with a rough reminder of what they were. Veld's brow was furrowed as he firmly told the rookie, "This is what the Turks do. Even if it means killing your family, you'll continue to do your job." The rookie acknowledged this in a faint voice, and they went to join the others.

Outside, Reno and Rude approached Tseng, who stood beside Hojo. Reno offered, "Tseng, we've gathered all the survivors." Rude continued, "We'll treat them once we've gotten them into the mansion." Tseng wouldn't look at them, only stared at the flames still devouring rooftops below, "Yeah . . . I guess so . . ." Reno frowned, casting a sideways look at Rude. Rude was looking at Tseng, who pointedly avoided Rude's stare.

Doctor Hojo's face showed undisguised glee as he chortled and eagerly asked, "Aren't the preparations for the mansion done yet?"

Veld, accompanied by the weary-eyed rookie, rejoined the group. Reno smiled tiredly, "Hey, they're back," but all Veld said was, "Doctor Hojo. The mansion is ready."

Hojo gave a shrill laugh and nodded, "I've been waiting for this . . . Start bringing the survivors into the mansion." Veld frowned a bit, but told his Turks, " . . . All of you. You heard him." Seeing the pale, shocked faces all around and failing to understand the simple human reasoning behind such stricken expressions, Hojo became irritated and insisted, "Hurry it up. I want this operation done fast, just like in Kalm." The rookie whispered, "Sir. Are the people carried to the mansion going to be . . ?" Veld was silent, his expression unreadable, and Reno couldn't hold it in anymore. He blurted, "You're not saying anything?" Veld was again eerily silent, and Rude spoke for him, answering Reno and the rookie, making the horrifying concept real to them all, "In other words . . ."

Hojo gave an exasperated sigh and offered, "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill them. They're going to become the test samples for my brilliant new ideas." He snickered and spoke again, quietly, as if to himself, "Can't you imagine the possibilities?" Tseng made a small sound of disgust. Reno, whose mind had gone to a dark place under the imminence of the orders given to him, remembered similar events during his life in the gang, moments when he'd had to kill several people who threatened his place in the gang hierarchy. Just as Ashe had beaten and raped Camryn to get to Reno, so had Reno also hurt the family and friends of other gang members who wanted Reno out of the gang. Displaying that grit, that gang harshness that had initially drawn the Turks' attention in the first place, Reno muttered, "It's going to look weird if all the townspeople disappear at once. . ." Veld informed them, "That's been taken care of. Shin-Ra employees will rebuild this town and play out the parts of the villagers."

Tseng was still silent, wondering if he could do this, if he could get this mission done successfully, if there could be any loopholes through which he might get Zack out of there. Professor Hojo's patience finally gave out, and he huffed angrily at the Turks, "Your opinions do not matter. Just get them into the mansion." Rude's expression was pained as he all but begged, "Sir…" Tseng himself appealed to Veld, "This is too dirty, sir . . ." while Reno rubbed his mouth in his characteristic sign of agitation as he muttered, "Can't keep doing stuff like this, you know."

Veld looked at them each for a few seconds. Tseng, his intelligent face drawn, pale. Reno, who looked like this carnage was all too close to the gang wars he'd gone through in his youth. Rude, who would do what Veld asked him to, even if it killed him inside. And the rookie, who still looked as if half-expecting all of this to be a joke, that Special Orders didn't mean covering up the tremendous loss of life that had just occurred here. Veld smiled faintly at his Turks and bowed his head slightly, " . . . All right. You don't have to do anything." Tseng looked up in surprise, meaning to ask, but Veld began talking before Tseng could ask his questions. Veld spoke up, his voice gruff and quiet as he explained, "I'll handle everything here. Ever since the Kalm burning took place, that my family was destroyed because of me . . . From that day on, I killed what was left of my emotions and focused on my work. It was the only way I could forget what had happened. I lost my family. The only thing that I could lean on after that was the Turks. But I don't want you to become like me. That's why I'll do this."

He walked away, followed by Reno, Rude and Tseng. Tseng talked in hushed tones with the leader, arguing for Zack's life, and Reno cracked his neck as Rude muttered, "And this is why we saved those people? It would've been better if . . ." Reno laughed mirthlessly, "If I'd known I was saving them just so Hojo could have fun playing God, I'd have killed them all myself. Single bullet to the head, save them the trouble of becoming guinea pigs for this creepy asshole." Rude looked at the younger man. Reno frowned a bit as he shook his head in disgust, "Man, this is wrong. This is wrong. I know it's our job, and we're so good at it that it scares me sometimes. But is being a Turk synonymous with no family, nothing at all except for each other? And not even that. The moment we both learned Zack was involved, we lied to Bird. Not even each other then. _Fuck._" Rude sighed, shaking his head, and they saw Veld walk off towards the encampment where the survivors were. Tseng looked disconsolate, but reworked his face into the mask of indifference they knew by the time Rude and Reno caught up to him. Reno was ambivalent. And kept going, but Rude stopped and looked at his oldest friend. This time, Tseng didn't look away, but dropped his shields for a brief second, gave Rude a glimpse of just how tired, how hurt over this incident he truly was, and Rude squeezed his shoulder, muttering, "Hang in there, Tseng."

4 hours later, the survivors had disappeared into the mansion, never to be seen or heard from again.

2 hours after that, Sephiroth and Zack, as well as a number of MPs, were reported killed in honorable action, defeated while battling a dragon that was pestering the residents of Nibelheim. Miyuki had called Reno, Rude, Tseng, anyone she could think of, desperate for information, what had happened, would anyone just tell her what had happened? And her friends, wanting to spare her further pain, said that the only cover-up was the town itself, that Zack really _was_ dead, as was Sephiroth. Nothing about Zack, the townspeople, being Hojo's new playthings. They knew she could handle the truth, that she was a tough woman, but they simply loved her too much to put her through that.

No one knew exactly when, but Veld disappeared again.

In the following 8 hours from Veld's departure, the final interviews, de-briefings and positions of surveillance were completed. People were being flown in from Midgar and Junon, and the reconstruction of Nibelheim had begun.

24 hours later, reeking of wet paint and raw wood, Nibelheim was born again, full of 'natives' who had no idea anything inappropriate had ever happened, save from the unfortunate and heroic death of Sephiroth and Zack, and the whole incident became just another file in the Turks' archive.

As for the Turks themselves, they were given a week off and a generous bonus in their checks.

* * *

There is just something deliciously slimy in the way ShinRa Company just covers up whole incidents. There's a part in the transcription where the unnamed rookie Turk you play as goes into the Nibelheim Manor, and finds all sorts of files and folders describing experiments and cover-ups, which is where I took the information on Veld's past. Again, I only touched upon subjects, but if you want the whole picture, go to Gunshot Romance. And yes, Veld does know about Vincent. Veld knows everything. _Creepy_


	33. The Nibelheim Incident, End

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar, the slums, Nibelheim, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix. What does belong to me are my Original Characters, Camryn, Brendan and Miyuki, and the story itself.

* * *

Several days later, actually two days before he had to report back in for work, Reno decided to stop avoiding Cam's phone calls, although she seemed to have gotten the hint and stopped calling. He sighed, remembering the last few days, when he knew that if he saw her, it would be too much, and he'd talk about what had happened, something Veld and Tseng strictly forbade. He had been too raw, too affected by the Nibelheim cover-up, and decided the best thing was to disappear, to go away from Midgar, from ShinRa Company, from his fellow Turks (especially Miyuki, who looked at him as if she knew he was keeping secrets from her), and away from Cam and Brendan.

He'd gone to Junon, rented a small fisherman's cottage by the sea. He'd slept, eaten, lived in near-absolute silence, and finally, drunk more than his fair share of whiskey, drunk enough so that the pounding headache he got the following morning obscured the screams of the injured, the flames, the unspeakable horror of the fates of those he'd rescued, the sound of Hojo's greedy laughter as he surveyed the weak and the injured, the voiceless people who'd be subjected to horrors he couldn't fathom. He'd picked up a whore, a young girl with sorrowful brown eyes, not for sex but for companionship, of all things, and ended up making her dinner and playing cards with her, drinking and sharing stories until she passed out, drunk and weary, making him laugh a bit as he remembered the prodigious amounts of booze Cam could put away before passing out like this sorry girl.

She'd stolen his wallet the next morning, when he woke up and found her gone. Turns out she wasn't as drunk as he thought she was. He'd tracked her down, telling the frightened girl she could keep the money, but he really needed that wallet back. Getting those cards again was a bitch, and how would it look to the ShinRa that he, a high-ranking Turk, had lost his wallet in Junon?

He'd had to comfort the girl, who began to cry when he said he was a Turk. She gave him the wallet back, as well as a relieved hug, when he promised he wouldn't do anything at all to her, that he just wanted the wallet. Outside, he'd laughed so hard he had to sit down.

But now he thought he'd be OK to be near Camryn. In fact, he wanted to be with Camryn and Brendan so bad it was burning him inside, this mad desire for companionship. He stood out on the sidewalk and looked up, knowing she'd be there. He'd memorized her schedule, and knew she had no work or rehearsals today. Sighing deeply to himself, Reno went into the apartment building, walking up the stairs, until he finally stood before the door. Touching the wood with his fingertips, Reno felt the noise around him, and pressed his ear to her door. He heard Camryn cooking, but there were pots and lids clanking loudly, much more noise than she usually made, and he heard Brendan laugh as his mother cheered him, "Right on! Play that music for me, baby!" Smiling, Reno unlocked the door using the spare key Cam had insisted on giving him. As he entered, he called out, "It's just me, baby-girl, don't throw one of those pans at me!"

He heard Camryn's cheerful holler, but all he had eyes for was the young boy who hugged his leg happily, grinning, "Hi, 'Eno! I'm playing music for Mama, wanna hear?" In his excitement, the child lapsed into his earlier, wrong pronunciation of Reno's name, but the Turk didn't mind. He liked hearing the child's happy voice. Reno picked him up deftly and hugged him, groaning, "Yeah, yeah, I wanna hear, little man. Mmm! You're heavy! You've been eating rocks again?" Brendan shook his head, "Noo! Not rocks! _Brownies!_" Reno set him down and went to Camryn who, despite her honest, happy smile, looked worried. He'd lost some weight during his 'vacation', and he knew his eyes looked dead still, but he was so happy to see her, so very happy, even if it didn't quite show.

He pulled her away from the stove, Cam turning away for a moment to turn off the stove. Reno sighed and stepped up to her, sliding his arms around her waist, across her slender back. Camryn hugged him tightly around his neck and shoulders, not saying anything. Reno held her, grounding himself in the comforting feel of her pressed against him, his dearest friend, one who knew all that was wrong with him at a mere glance, one who demanded no answers from him, but accepted those he was willing to give. This last mission had broken something inside him, shown him there were places, moments, in which a Turk had to be invariably alone, that it was just too dangerous to have anyone near, anyone close enough that could be used against them, or hurt because of a misunderstanding, when there were lies and omissions even between each other, so that each person was indeed a world unto themselves. Afraid he'd be utterly unprepared for the choices he might have to make in the future, Reno pushed the unwelcome thoughts away as best he could. He just wanted to be near Cam, to be near Bren, to hear them laugh, and talk, and give him affection as freely as only they did.

Cam felt the Turk shivering lightly under her grasp, and moved her arms so that she stroked his face, his hair, pressing warm, soft kisses to each of those closed, weary eyelids. He sighed softly, quietly, moving a bit so he could nuzzle her neck. She heard him whisper, "I'm so tired, Cam. I'm so tired." The Costan traced his tattoos, his eyebrows, the contours of his mouth, with a cool fingertip, and she kissed his forehead, "Go to bed, Reno. I'll get you some dinner, keep Bren quiet. Just be still for a while, hon." He shook his head, "Nah, I've been still for a while already. I want . . . I want you guys. I want to hear you guys." Camryn smiled, "Alright then. Listen to my own little Maestro play while he tells me about the bratty neighbor next door." Reno smiled and nodded.

For the rest of the afternoon, Reno just sat around quietly, watching Brendan, such a dazzling little star, a brightness Camryn had brought into the world. It seemed strange that so much life could be contained in such a small bundle, such a small child. Life that Reno knew he could end. No, not Brendan's, never Brendan's life. Reno would destroy himself before ending either his or Camryn's life. But how many lives _had _he extinguished? How many people had lost their lives to the deceptively funny Turk? Reno closed his eyes, letting his breath go out in a whoosh, listening to Brendan chatter with his mother about cartoon robots and cartoons and the bully next door.

* * *

Aothor's Note:

LOL, Reno picking up a prostitute for a chat! But seriously, our dear friend has to face the cold hard fact that he's a Turk, and Turks are not the safest people to be around. Knowing what happened to Veld, what Veld has gone through and done to keep himself sane, is more than Reno wants to know at the moment.

Anyway, please leave a small review or PM or anything, really. See you!


	34. Interstice

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar, the slums, Nibelheim, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix. The translations from the Before Crisis handheld game (whenever I use them) belong to Dark Angel over at the Gunshot Romance webpage. What does belong to me are my Original Characters, Camryn, Brendan and Miyuki, and the story itself.

* * *

_**February 26, 0003**_

_**ShinRa Tower**_

_**2:41**_

Weeks had gone by, and Reno and Miyuki were going back to their usual selves. She'd stopped asking him about what really happened in Nibelheim, although he could still see the plea in her black eyes. She often looked on the verge of telling him something, seemed tortured about some secret knowledge she felt she couldn't confide. She argued with Tseng, as the Turk leader insisted on knowing what was wrong with her, but at the same time, ignoring her pleas for information on Zack. The Wutaians were at a stalemate.

And Reno, for his own part, had been considerably healed by both the days off and the company of Camryn and Brendan. He was still reticent with his friend and lover, but the situation had improved somewhat. Camryn was still hurt at what she felt was a cool attitude on his part, a frigidity she'd never encountered from him before, and was therefore at a loss on how to deal with it, when Reno provided so little information on what was wrong. Reno had taken upon himself almost massive amounts of paperwork, if only to avoid her sad looks when he got to her apartment late at night, if he visited at all.

Reno walked into the training area, meaning to spend some of the pent-up energy he accumulated while doing nothing but desk-jobs. Recent activity from AVALANCHE had kept the Turks busy, but Reno still felt jumpy, full of nervous activity. He all but sprinted to the training area, hoping to find someone to spar with, or at the very least, to run a few miles on the treadmill.

When he got there, he found Miyuki going all out on the treadmill. She was running full tilt, her breath coming in harsh pants. Sparing her a look, Reno walked around to the front of the machine. She saw him, and nodded at him, unable to really talk. Reno arched an eyebrow at her appearance: her hair was plastered to her neck, and her cheeks were brilliant red. She spared him a quick grin, and nodded. The redheaded Turk began gradually lowering the speed on the treadmill. As soon as it was slow enough, Miyuki leapt off it. Reno shrugged and leapt on, lowering the speed further.

He asked Miyuki, "Damn, woman! What was that?" She panted harshly, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She shrugged, groaning, "Ooh, man! I dunno, Slim. I was too bored, got to thinking too much. I felt like I had to run myself half to death. You're on your way there yourself." Reno nodded, having increased the speed on the machine. He panted, "I feel jumpy, not really out in the field. This week it's all been desk work. Bores me the fuck outta my mind!" he winked at her, "Either this, or set fire to Turk HQ, or jump someone's bones."

Miyuki teased, "Liar. You have a girlfriend. And in spite of all your talk, you don't strike me as the cheating type." Reno looked at her strangely, serious agreement and flippant attitude battling in those eyes of his. "_Why would you want people to __**not**__ take you seriously, Red?_" Miyuki asked herself. Externally, though, she gave Reno a brief smile and wandered away, going over to the weight training section.

". . . _in spite of all your talk, you don't strike me as the cheating type_ . . ." she had said. "_If only she really knew what was going on . . . Me, and Cammy . . . and Bren . . ._" Reno thought, accelerating the machine even further. He glanced over where Miyuki was, and saw her straining with effort as she began doing bench-presses. For such a slender woman, Miyuki often had a workout Reno himself would have much trouble with, and Rude had once commented that he'd tried it, and had been sore for a day afterwards. He'd also told Reno that, ever since she'd been a Turk, Miyuki had always had a very strenuous work-out routine. "_She works out like she's trying to prove something . . . to us, or . . . to herself?_" Reno was beginning to have trouble thinking, as he had to focus on the fast-moving belt beneath him to go woolgathering.

* * *

Elsewhere, Camryn felt large beads of sweat trailing down her face, down the middle of her back. She was rehearsing a new choreography for the elaborate group dances the girls at the HoneyBee performed. Several of the girls complained; it was difficult work in their current outfit (simple shirts and sweatpants), so how tough would it be with the whole HoneyBee outfit, with the Bee stinger and headdress?

Karrie, the choreographer, chastised them, "Come on, you lazy whores! You're only here for one purpose: to entertain our customers with your dancing. You want it easier than that? We can arrange something with the Don. You'll rest all you want; you'll be working on your fucking backs! Now move your asses! 5, 6, 7, 8!" A formidable woman, Karrie was born and raised in Midgar, Slum #1, and was the head dancer and choreographer at the HoneyBee. Like Camryn, like many of the HoneyBee dancers, she'd escaped or paid her way out of a brothel. She and Camryn had struck a friendship as they talked about their pasts, their goals and frustrations, and most importantly, of their children. As a new mother, and a young one, Camryn had often asked for advice from the other, older women who'd also had children, and Karrie had seemed to take 

Camryn under her wing, so to speak. And as for Karrie, she was also a single mother, with the further complication that she had two children, twin girls.

After a seemingly long, long time, Karrie stopped the rehearsal. "That's it for today, ladies," she said, sitting on her butt on the stage. Camryn sat next to her, panting, giving Karrie a reproachful look. Karrie grinned, "Aww, don't look at me like that, Cammy." Camryn laughed through her nose, "That was a total _bitch_ of a routine, Karrie. And that thing you said scared more than a few of the girls." Karrie shrugged, "Hey, I had to work on my back, sell my body for cash before I got this gig. And compared to that, even wearing the stupid Bee outfit and stripping out of it for guys to watch is loads better."

Camryn nodded, "Yeah, that's true enough . . ." Karrie snickered, "C'mon, there's enough ex-hookers here to keep the rest of these sorry bitches motivated, right? When they whine, we can tell them how it feels to service three or four men a night, and not get to keep even half of the money." Camryn winced, and quietly added, "That's why I always insisted on them giving me little gifts. I could hide and sell them later on when I went out, and keep the money." Karrie grinned, "Clever girl. So, how's that gorgeous boy of yours?" Camryn smiled happily, "Oh, he's all beautiful and sweet. He keeps saying 'I love you Mama' whenever I try to bathe him or do something he doesn't like." Karrie burst out laughing, "Oh, no! He's turning into your average man!"

The women shared a small laugh, and Camryn asked, "How're yours?" Karrie shrugged, "Having some trouble getting them schooled. What with clothes, school supplies, stuff like that . . . Might have to reconsider the previous job, seems like it sometimes. My advice, Cam? You already had Bren, so there's no helping that, but _don't you have another kid unless you marry the fucker! _I trusted my john, and he got me out of the whorehouse alright, but he up and left me when I had the twins."

Camryn sighed, commiserating, "I know what you mean, sort of . . . But for now, I have it pretty good. Bren's father . . . I see him quite often, and he helps me out a lot." Karrie made a face, "But you're still here. He hasn't taken you out of this shithole." Camryn frowned a bit, looking down into her lap. She wanted to defend Reno, to say that there were important reasons why he couldn't be with her and Brendan, but the fact of the matter was, "_How can I be sure that, even without the job he has, he would still stick around?_" She didn't, and it hurt for her to think of Reno like this, to think of herself like not truly able to keep the redheaded Turk to herself, as if the only reason he had for visiting her was Brendan's existence, which she knew _Reno_ knew was his.

"_No! He loves me. In his own way, he does. Maybe it's not the way I would want him to love me, to be with me, but I'm important to him. I know I am. I don't need to hear him say it . . . but it would be nice, wouldn't it?_" she scolded herself. Karrie smiled sadly, "And here I've gone and made you upset . . . I'm sorry. C'mon, let's get out of this dump. I'll buy you a late lunch."

Camryn smiled and shook her head, "Nah, it's OK. I'm gonna go get some groceries, and pick up Bren from the babysitter's. I'll see you tomorrow?" Karrie shrugged, "I guess."

* * *

Still a lot of tensions, easily one of the most uncomfortable moments ever for the Turks and Camryn. Read and review, please!


	35. Wall

**Disclaimer**

I don't own Reno, the Turks, Midgar, the slums, Wutai, ShinRa Electric Power Company or its executives. Those all belong to Square Enix. What does belong to me are my Original Characters, Camryn, Brendan and Miyuki, and the story itself.

So, a nice, big, multi-part chapter for you guys, to see if I can jump-start the review process. This monster chapter is sort of divieded into three smaller pieces which I kept together because if split apart, they kinda lost their 'oomph'. Segments are as follows: Some Reno/Camryn problems, as Reno keeps thinking on Turk coverups, the dangerous situation they;re in, and just how overall threatened Turks are at this junction. Read Dark Angel's trasncriptions to see what I mean.

Some major plot spoilers from Before Crisis in the middle portion of the chapter, so enter at your own risk. We finally find out who AVALANCHE's benefactor has been all this time, and an offhand comment might prove very dangerous to one of the Turks.

And finally, a bit of romance, just random and fast enough to make you say, "Did that just happen?!"

Yes. Yes it did.

* * *

**0003/1/****2**

**Midgar**

Once again, Time had rushed past. Already, Brendan's third birthday was merely 16 days away. Camryn had accomplished a sort of stability in her job at the HoneyBee, as one of the lead dancers there. Reno, for his own part, had healed from the Nibelheim experience. He had healed, but not gone back to the way he used to be. He would lapse into silences, he would give Camryn strange looks. He drifted away from her a bit, staying at his own apartment more often than not. She was terribly hurt by this, and saw he was in pain as well, though why exactly, she couldn't say. But Reno still called frequently, and he was also looking forward to Brendan's birthday. And ever so often, he dropped by the apartment, to play with Brendan, to laugh and share with them, and make love to her and confess nothing was the same, that things had changed, though he couldn't tell her much more.

AVALANCHE had grown stronger, that much he did tell her, while watching TV, Brendan on his lap. But the ShinRa Intelligence Net had cracked the case open by pinpointing the terrorist headquarters at Wutai, although he wasn't being sent there for a change. "It makes sense, actually," Reno had said, patting the seat next to him, "Wutai hates ShinRa's guts. Of course they'd welcome an anti-ShinRa terrorist cell. Miyuki laughed and cried at the same time when she found out. She's going crazy. Something's breaking her apart, fuck if I know what." He sighed sadly at his roommate's fractioned psyche, while Cam thought, "_Same thing's happening to you, darling. I wish you'd talk to me . . ._" She often wondered about what had happened in that mission in Nibelheim. She had prodded carefully at him, only to receive a loosely structured account of a dragon slaying gone terribly wrong, ending with the death of Sephiroth, but Reno had often told her about Sephiroth's prodigious skill, his Materia and sword fighting abilities second to none, and she found it extremely hard to believe that a mere dragon had bested the General.

As it was, all she could do was try and love Reno into loving himself, but how to do this, if he pushed her away?

Still, Reno brought her attention back when he sighed and murmured, "The VP's not making things easier for Yuki. He's gone to Wutai on a business-related affair or something yesterday, and insisted Miyuki be his escort. She's not supposed to go to Wutai, for anything at all, but who says 'No' to Rufus? Anyway, I wish they were back. Miyuki's a great chick." Camryn playfully grumbled, "Hmph, I'm starting to be suspicious of this Yuki girl. A beautiful, exotic roommate." Reno snickered, petting her hair, "Naw, baby, relax. I love Yuki to pieces, but as a roomie, a partner and a friend. No romantic aspirations there. And you're exotic too, babe. A _Costana_, _muy caliente_!" Cam laughed at his Costan flirting. '_Muy caliente_' meant 'Very hot' in Midgar dialect.

Reno looked at the toddler on his lap, "Hmm, look. Bren's sleeping. He's drooling on my arm." Camryn took the baby, putting him in his crib. She turned to Reno, who looked at the sleeping boy. He lifted his gaze to look at her, and after a moment's silent stare, he went to bed. Camryn's brow furrowed as she swallowed past the knot in her throat. "_Please, Reno, please talk to me, don't push me away,_" she thought, tucking a blanket around Brendan's body before following Reno to bed. He was resolutely turned away from her, but she knew he was awake from the set of his shoulders, the sound of his breathing. She turned off the light and lay next to him, bringing her legs up behind his so that she spooned him, hugged his back. Reno shut his eyes as he felt her agitation, the way her hands shook as she stroked his arm, her desperation as she kissed the back of his head. He knew she was sad, and hurt at the way he was treating her, but he couldn't do anything else at the moment.

After several minutes of silence, she whispered, "I miss you, Reno . . ."

He was taken aback by the sheer vulnerability of her tone, and his reply was honest as he admitted, "I miss you too, Cammy. I miss myself." She sighed against his back, "Baby, just talk to me, please tell me what's wrong." Reno shook his head, "You can't help me, Cam. Not this time." Camryn made a sound of dismay, "But this is unfair, Reno. We're all suffering here, and I don't even know why." The Turk squeezed her hand, "You're better off not knowing what's inside my head right now, sugar, trust me." She hugged his back, "I trust you, Reno, you know I trust you with my life-" Reno gasped as she unwittingly hit upon what was disturbing him, and he sat up, "Your life. Your life, and Brendan's." Camryn sat up as well, catching on, "Are you worried about us, Reno? Did someone find out about Bren, about me? Is that what's got you like this?" Reno hugged her tightly, kissing the side of her head, "Baby, Cammy, sweetheart, please, please, please just be quiet, don't ask me anything more, don't push me." Camryn hugged him in return, her voice wavering as she pled, "But honey, I don't know anything, I want to help you, it hurts me to see you like this." She burrowed her head in the crook of his neck and whispered, "It feels like I'm losing you, like you're slipping away, going somewhere I can't follow." Reno kissed her cheeks, her mouth, "Don't do this to yourself, Cam, don't do this to me. Just leave things as they are."

* * *

**0003/1/03 **

**Wutai**

The AVALANCHE operation had been a success! For both sides!

Well, it depended on whose side you were on that the mission's success took its particular meaning. For the Turks and the ShinRa Military, it was a success, as they'd taken out the terrorist cell's main headquarters, killing off the three main leaders to boot. For AVALANCHE, it was a success as well, since the three 'leaders' were in fact disguised operatives, and seeing how the Company thought it had destroyed AVALANCHE, security would be more relaxed than it had been, allowing their informant more room for his schemes. Rufus met AVALANCHE on top of the holy mountain of Da Chao, the supposedly dead leaders. While Elfe was supposed to be the leader, Rufus could tell Fuhito was the real brains behind the terrorist cell. Sears was impotent to work against him, and all his loyalties lay in the sickly woman. Looking at Fuhito, Rufus acknowledged, "Our plan was a success." Fuhito agreed, "Yes. HQ was destroyed, and its leaders with it. They think they've destroyed AVALANCHE entirely." Rufus glanced down at the fire they were still trying to put out, the MPs relaxed as they patrolled the town, the Turks gathered in a small enclave. He shrugged, making a small sound of nonchalance, "Hmph. Veld was starting to get too close to the truth. The surveillance around me was tight so I couldn't do much, but . . . I shouldn't have those problems anymore." Rufus was thinking of the Turks, of which Veld insisted on assigning them to 'guard' Rufus. "_More likely to keep an eye on me,_" he thought, thinking he'd circumvented some of the problems with that arrangement by allowing Veld to insist on assigning him Turks, but by Rufus insisting on Miyuki's presence. She always allowed him more free rein than the others.

His attention was drawn back to the AVALANCHE leader, who chuckled and admired their plan, while the sickly woman and the pawn-like man bickered amongst themselves. Rufus didn't care about their goals or problems, and crossly told them, "We can't do anything about the little inconveniences." Fuhito agreed with him, earning dirty glances from the other two, and Rufus continued, "Next. Everything will end next time at the rocket launch ceremony. The old man will have his guard down, and that's when we'll make our move." Again, Fuhito reassured him, his voice slightly unctuous. They both looked down to where the phalanx of Turks stood, watching them begin to disperse. Rufus caught sight of Miyuki, her dark hair flung carelessly about by the wind. Fuhito recognized her from the several occasions she accompanied Rufus, only to allow him some personal space in which Rufus would meet up with them. He asked, "Does anybody other than the Turk leader suspect you?" Rufus spoke carelessly, and immediately regretted it, "My usual Turk escort does, I think." He tried to salvage, to draw Miyuki away from the suspicion, "Or perhaps I'm simply being paranoid. Either way, she's not important right now; only our plans matter." As always, Fuhito agreed, "Of course."

* * *

Elsewhere, later that night, Miyuki's mind was numbed, misty, from the several drinks she'd consumed. Her head was wreathed in fragrant smoke as she stood outside, basking in the silent Wutai night, leaning her back against an ancient cherry tree. It was chilly out where she was, the night perfectly quiet, perfectly still, a breeze occasionally fluttering the leaves on the trees. The fountain nearby gurgled, the sound relaxing her tightly wound nerves. She loved Wutai. The air was sweet, and she felt close to the Great Mother, the Earth, as she very seldom felt in Midgar. So close to the Great Mother she could just envision herself floating away into the Lifestream, not Miyuki Harada anymore, but a mere memetic memory of what she'd been in life, joined the Planet's life-force to strengthen it and bring new life into the world.

"_Like Katsuo did_," Miyuki thought, surprised at herself for thinking of Katsuo after all these years, sweet, beautiful Katsuo who, even after so long, still brought tears to her eyes. She often tricked herself into thinking she'd forgotten Katsuo, that he wasn't important to her anymore, but the memory of him was always in her mind, escaping the controls she imposed on herself to peek over the edge of her self-constraint.

She felt someone near, someone walking up to where she was. She tilted her head a bit, catching a glimpse of a familiar shade of strawberry blonde. "ShinRa?" she asked, seeing him alone. Alone, if you weren't counting Dark Nation as a person, the Guard Hound walking off to the side and behind Rufus, so that Miyuki doubted Rufus himself was aware of his pet's presence there. He startled a bit upon hearing her voice, but dissembled nicely. "Yes, it's me. What are you doing out here?" he asked, walking close to the sniper, "I thought you'd disappear into the forest by now, like you did last time." Miyuki shook her head, her voice quiet and sad-sounding as she replied, "No. There's nothing out there for me." She remembered that last time she'd sought out her friends and family here in Wutai, the accusations, the regrets and the awful revelations made, things nobody knew about, not Reno, not Rude, not even Tseng, who'd been her guide and friend so far back when she'd first gotten to Midgar . . .

Rufus stood beside her, and she saw he'd taken off the usual white coat. He had on a black vest, with a white shirt underneath. The young Vice-President seemed tired, worn around the edges. Miyuki asked, "What brings you out here? By all accounts you should be in your rooms. We're leaving early tomorrow." Rufus leaned against the opposite side of the tree, feeling her proximity, and sighed, "Couldn't relax. Too wound up. There's too much going on. I just need . . . I don't know. I suppose I need-"

On the other side of the tree, Miyuki whispered, "-some silence. Some quiet, stillness." Rufus smiled into the darkness, a soft, vulnerable smile only the stars could see as he quietly agreed, "Yeah."

She cared for this young man. She'd seen him at his best, when his intelligence and strong will made him seem like the better leader for the Company that his father and his corrupt executives. She'd also seen him at his worst, riddled with self-doubts, his recent ideas tainted with the greed for power, his impatience with his father. Miyuki had initially hated Rufus ShinRa intensely, because he seemed the epitome of all that was wrong with the world. A rich, spoiled boy, who had no idea of the evils his father's Company had wrought upon the world, only caring enough to enjoy the fruits of war. Endlessly privileged, well-educated, a world-traveler. The exact opposite of herself, who'd grown up in poverty, who hadn't even seen the modern war-machines, who had no idea what Mako was, who learned everything she learned through disposition and hard work, no privilege there.

But she'd learned there was more to the young Vice-President. She saw he did indeed work hard, that he hadn't acquired his degree through social connections, that he had a genuine interest in the Company's management. And eventually, Miyuki had begun trusting him, growing fond of him, watching him grow and develop, until now, now when she'd begun to doubt him, begun to suspect him of betrayal. All her fears that she'd trust someone only to have that person betray her were becoming realized. There were so many cover-ups she didn't know where the truth was anymore, and try as she might to not care, to just do her job and keep her head down, Miyuki just couldn't do it. Zack's disappearance had been the last straw, and she didn't know how long she could withstand this tension.

They leaned against the tree for a few minutes in absolute silence, and Miyuki spoke, "What's wrong, ShinRa?" He smiled again at the casual treatment he almost always received from the sniper, but the smile was quickly wiped off as he remembered the encounter on Da Chao in the afternoon. A careless remark on his part, but all AVALANCHE cared about was their goals, right? Surely they wouldn't focus their energies on- But that was too frightening a prospect to visualize. He sighed, sliding his hands behind him, touching the rough bark of the tree, and happened upon something soft; Miyuki's fingers. Miyuki drew a quick breath at the tentative touch, his warm fingers across hers. He stopped, began to draw his hand away, but hear a quiet "Don't," from the other side of the tree. Feeling gooseflesh crawl up his arms, Rufus slipped his little finger under hers, linking the small appendages together. Miyuki surprised herself by drawing his hand more fully into her grasp, squeezing his hand.

Rufus came around the side of the tree, allowing her to gently pull him. He looked upon her pale face, saw her eyes glimmer with unshed tears. He knew then that she knew about his link to the terrorist cell, something he'd suspected but now knew for certain. "Miyuki-" he tried, but she shook her head, "No, don't say it . . ."She sniffled, her black eyes miserable as she mumbled to herself, "ShinRa, ShinRa, goddamn you. It's the wrong thing to do, don't you realize that?" Rufus stroked her hair, something he'd always wanted to do, to see if it really was as soft as it looked, wondering what Miyuki's next action would be, how he would respond to it. "I have to, Miyuki. It's the only way-" Her eyes blazed with sudden anger as she pushed him away, "_No_, it's not! It is not! You don't know what you're doing." He didn't want to hear her accusations, her points of view, her rationalization for how everything he was doing was all wrong.

He did enough of that himself. He held himself to far more strenuous scrutiny than his demanding father ever did. His own expectations, his goals for himself were impossibly high, and no sniper, no Turk, no matter how dear to him, was going to talk him out of his ultimate plan to become the man he wanted to be. But how to make her quiet, how to let her know that he understood her objections, but meant to carry on his objectives?

That he liked her was unquestionable. That she was the closest thing he had to a friend was indisputable. Rufus pulled Miyuki to himself and kissed her.

It was a quick, scorching-hot kiss, as his mouth caught hers, her hitching breath becoming his own as he tasted the _sake_ she'd sipped on, the cigarette she'd been smoking, her own sweet, subtle taste. Miyuki made a small sound deep in her throat, fisting her hands in his vest, feeling him trace the very tip of his tongue across her bottom lip.

And as quick as it had started, it ended. She let go of his clothes, moistening her lips, her dark almond-shaped eyes unreadable. Rufus shivered, and it wasn't from the cold. This Turk was special to him, while at the same time, stood in the way of his plans. This paradox maddened him. Why should he have to choose? Couldn't he keep his Turks close while he fulfilled his ambitions?

He bowed his head, his forehead touching hers, and whispered, "Don't try to stop me, Miyuki, please don't." He didn't wait for her reply, but turned around and walked away, leaving Miyuki as she'd started: alone, by the tree, feeling cold. She reached up to her mouth, tracing its contours, feeling that kiss all over again and not having any clue as to what she'd do about the problematic Vice-President.

* * *

A/N: OMG!

I was surpised at how this last segment came together. Seriously.

You might be wondering who that Katsuo person was, who Miyuki thought of so sadly. More on the mysterious Katsuo on upcoming "Miyuki's Story" chapters! By the way, I have a few chapter's worth of material about Tseng and Rude's early lives in ShinRa Company that runs parallell to Miyuki's life. I thought I could perhaps blend it togather a bit, show one place and then the other, until the day Miyuki joins the Turks. What do you think?

Please, guys, feedback is nice, it lets me know if I need to fix something, if everything's OK thus far.

Please read and review!


	36. Drabble

I own nothing that is recognizably Square Enix's, such as Reno and areas of Midgar. Everything else in here _is_ indeed mine, meant to be read, enjoyed and (hopefully) reviewed.

Just some WAFFy drabble, while they're still doing the 'dating/not dating' thing. The way I see it, this took place right after Reno's break-up with Iris but before Cam began seeing Jud. And no, Jud isn't the mystery man in this drabble.

This is a little something-something I've had in my drabble folder for ages, I just don't know how to squeeze it into the fic itself . . . but the updates are all lined up and ready to go! I'll post more frequently this vacation. I suppose I'll be focusing more on Teh Great ShinRa War, but I'll post more stuff here too.

Cheers, and a Happy New Year!!

* * *

Reno knocked on her door, stifling a yawn. Camryn opened, smiling at him happily, "Reno! Hi! I wasn't expecting you today, hon." It was contagious, and he found himself smiling back, "Hi, sexy thing. Got back early from Junon." He kissed her forehead, and ceremoniously handed her a small but lovely white flower, with a buttery yellow center. Camryn took the delicate bloom, cooing at him, "Ooh, Reno, it's lovely, thanks!" She sniffed at it, and tucked it behind her ear. Reno nodded at the apartment, grinning, "So, let me in already, woman!" She burst out laughing, "Of course! Where _are_ my manners? Come in, honey."

The Turk followed her into her apartment, and while Camryn shut and locked the door, he froze. His smile felt plastic in his face. All four of Camryn's good drinking glasses were full of flowers. Apparently somebody had given her a bouquet so huge, so ridiculously expensive, she'd had to split it up into four smaller bouquets, as she didn't have a vase big enough. Next to those exotic, colorful blooms, the tiny, lackluster bloom he'd just given her seemed a paltry, pathetic thing. Cam went to his side, seeing his expression. "Babe?" she quietly asked. Reno let out a mirthless, sad-sounding laugh, "And here I was, thinking I was making such a big splash with that miserable little flower I got you." She let out a breath, "It's just from an admirer at the HoneyBee, sweetie. Nothing else. It's completely meaningless. But this-" she gestured at the blossom behind her ear, "-This was a gift from someone who's very, very special to me. It means a lot more than all these flashy flowers."

Reno gave a fleeting smile, "Oh, but I know how much you like flowers. I guess . . . I guess that guy made a really good impression. You're going out with him?" Camryn sighed, "He's a big-shot businessman, Reno. He saw me at work, liked what he saw, and asked for a date. I turned him down, so he got me those." Reno arched an eyebrow, "Devious bastard." She made a face, "He liked a product, Reno, an image I'm projecting. But that's not me." Reno was cautiously hopeful, and he asked, "Are you reconsidering having turned him down?" Camryn shook her head, "Nope. I'm not interested, Reno. I told him as much, and if he thinks I'm the kind of woman who says 'No' just to have him throw money at me, then he's sadly mistaken, 'cause-" Reno smiled, "Because you'll never be a mistress for cash."

She widened her lovely violet eyes, smiling, "Exactly. See? This is why I like having you as a friend close by, 'cause you're all smart like that. You know me, the real me." Reno smiled, looking away at that vulnerable admission of hers, "Umm, so I guess I'm glad you're not gonna date that guy." Camryn smiled back, "So am I."

Reno looked as if he wanted to say something. He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. Finally, he just grumbled, "Come here," and pulled Camryn into an embrace. Camryn let him, drawing her own arms around the Turk's slender waist, nuzzling his neck affectionately, thinking, "_I'm just gonna wait for you to come around._"

In the end, Reno's flower lasted longer than the expensive bouquet, which began to wilt that very same night. When the flower Reno had given her began to fade, Camryn dried and pressed it. Once it was fully preserved, she took a small trinket box she'd had with her since she'd been a child, a gift from one of the customers at the brothel she'd been raised in. Inside the lovely lacquer box were her treasures: a lock of Brendan's hair, taken from his first haircut; a picture of her mother, and an envelope. She took the envelope out of the box, and shook out the contents. It might have been meaningless to anyone, but held immense significance for her.

Dried flowers.

All the envelope contained were dried flowers, all of them presents from Reno, all the way to the very first one he'd ever given her, and which her own mother taught her how to preserve. That first flower was a tiny yellow dandelion, given to her on her sixth birthday. And then the others: a white daisy he'd gotten to cheer her up when she'd been made to sell herself for money; a purple sprig taken from the bouquet he'd given her when she'd given birth to Brendan; a yellow flower, similar to the one she'd only just gotten from him and which he claimed to give her 'just because'. Many little flowers, and all with a memory. She smiled at the fond memories, preserved as the flowers themselves were, and slid the newest addition into the envelope, putting the other ones in as well. She kissed the envelope, tucked it into her treasure box, and put it away.

* * *

This is, again, not in the time frame as the previous chapter, but unrelated. Hope you enjoyed it!

Please Review!!


	37. Laugh

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, Rude, Tseng, any of the executives or locations referred to in this story, only my OCs Camryn, Brendan and Miyuki.

Pre-story A/N: Hi! College is hard work, but I think you'll be pleased to hear that the weird hiatus is at an end for now. I've typed up a quantity of chapters to update all my stories and hopefully can post them regularly.

Read and Review!!

* * *

_**March 5, 0003**_

_**Midgar**_

Tseng let out a frustrated breath, making Rude look up from his pile of papers. Upon seeing Rude's arched eyebrow, Tseng grumbled, "I feel like I'm drowning in all this damn paperwork. I miss my old job. I want to shoot something, get in a fight, anything . . ."

Rude felt the same way. All the cover-ups, all the paper trails that needed to vanish, it all took a piece of their humanity, a piece of their sanity. The Turks had all felt that way when Heidegger had been the one running the Turks, and they felt the same way now, with Veld taking responsibility for Nibelheim. Rude shrugged, "I thought I'd look for a sparring partner once I finished this. I could take you on. That is," he added, smiling at Tseng in a teasing way, "if you haven't gone soft with your new, cushy job . . ." Tseng narrowed his eyes, shaking his head slowly, "You're going to sink to Reno's level, trying to bait me?"

Reno was famous for baiting others into confrontations or sparring matches, Miyuki usually being the one who usually took him on (often beating him in the process). Besides being supremely annoying, taunting made people lose their focus a rage took over, something the ex-gang leader found worked to his advantage. Rude had learned well from his long association with Reno. He grinned and whispered, "Tseng's a chicken. Bawk, bawk bawk . . ."

Tseng glared at him, "Oh, you bastard. It's on, Rude."

_Two hours later_

"Oh, God! Stop! Stop! Make it end!" Tseng yelled, fisting his hands in his hair and pulling in painful agony. Rude had twisted his leg to an unnatural angle. The fight had gone on for a long time. Rude was the more powerful of the two, but slower. Tseng was the faster, but was very wary of getting too close to Rude.

Eventually, getting tired, Rude had exaggerated his tiredness to make Tseng feel confident enough to come near. Once the Wutaian was close enough, Rude attacked, grabbing one of Tseng's legs and twisting it.

"Had enough?" he asked, to which Tseng replied, "Yes, yes, goddamn you, it hurts, let go!" Rude laughed and let go of Tseng's leg. Tseng massaged the feeling into his leg, grumbling, "Fuck, I can't feel my toes . . ." He glared murderously at Rude, who merely laughed and patted Tseng's head, "Told you you'd gone soft."

Tseng shook his hand off, smiling, "Yeah, I still think I gave you a run for your money."

"Woo-hoo! Beefcake party!" someone yelled, and Tseng and Rude watched Miyuki saunter in, holding two bottles of energy drink. "Two half naked, sweaty sexy men. Yup! This is the right place to be!" she laughed sitting close to them and tossing them the drinks.

"I'm Turk leader now, Miyuki. You can't be checking me out," Tseng said, looking at her from out the corner of his eye. Miyuki snickered, "Man, I knew you since before your fancy promotion. _And_ I'm older than you. So that makes me immune."

To Rude, she merely grunted, "Mmm, _mmm_!" He chuckled and saluted her with his drink. She grinned, sitting cross-legged and eyeing them carefully. "I could take you. Both," she said, nodding curtly at them. Rude grumbled, "Yeah, now that we're tired and bruised up . . ." Miyuki shrugged, smiling widely, "Well, duh! What, you crazy, taking a fight with both all nice and healthy? Sorry, guys. I love life!"

Tseng finished his drink and stood up, wincing. Rude grinned when the Wutaian groaned in pain, "Oh, man, Rude. You beat the everlasting crap out of me." Rude pointed at his tender chin, "Payback for that right hook to my jaw."

Miyuki looked closer, "Ooh, yeah, that's gonna look lovely in a few hours. All the colors of a Midgar sunset. Puke-green, sickly yellow, busted-capillary red." Tseng chuckled, and waved at his companions, "Alright, Yuki. Midgar sunsets are not the prettiest. Please don't insult me anymore." He got up, wincing at a flare of pain in his back, and told his teammates, "You two do whatever it is you do when I'm not looking. I'm hitting the showers. See you around."

The other two Turks watched Tseng limp to the showers, calling out taunts, "Ah, you're walking like my ancient Auntie Mai Ling!" "Think about it twice before asking me for a fight! I'm the former cage-fighting _master_ of Midgar!" Tseng gave them the one-finger salute behind his back, laughing at the heckling.

Once he was gone, Miyuki sighed and looked at Rude, "So, what possessed you to beat the crap out of _senpai_?" Rude shrugged, "He asked for it. Said he was tired of paperwork, that he missed being an active-duty Turk." Miyuki sighed, "Aren't we all . . ." Before Rude could say anything, however, she changed the subject and stroked Rude's bald head, "And you always aim to please, don't you?" He shrugged, smiling. If Miyuki didn't want to tell him just now what was on her mind, that was her prerogative. He was content to just cool down and sit with a friend.

After a few minutes' silence, Rude asked, "So . . . what are you doing tonight?" Miyuki stretched her arms above her head, yawning, "Eh, I dunno. Maybe Twiggy will want to get drinks. It's Friday. Why?" Rude shrugged again, "Just asking . . ." Miyuki grinned, "Aww, Baldy wanted to ask me out! _Suteki_!"

He laughed through his nose, "I was not. I know you're not into dating people you hang out with." Miyuki nodded, eyes serious now, "That's right, big guy, I don't." They both fell silent. After a while, Miyuki uttered a strange laugh, something between a snort and a giggle, "So, um . . . Your apartment, 3 AM?" Rude burst out laughing, embarrassed enough to actually flush a bit. She grinned, "I'll take that as a 'Yes', I think. See you then, big guy."

With that, she rose to her knees, kissed him lightly on the lips, and got up and left. Then she turned back, "Listen, Rude, just so we're on the same page . . . I don't want to meet with you for sex. If it happens, cool, but what I really want is to talk. Something's going on, and I don't think Reno would be an objective listener. His temper's awful. Especially when he's blitzed, and today being a Friday and him having the weekend off and all . . ."

Rude gave her a puzzled look, "Talk about what, Miyuki?"

She gave a sad shake of her head, "Just . . . just stuff. Stuff I can't tell Tseng about, either. Things I've been putting together and are now making sense. Are we on? Or you really wanted that booty call?"

Rude smiled, "To be perfectly honest, Miyuki? I guess I wanted the booty call, but if you want to talk, that's fine too. You're a good talker. Especially when you're blitzed."

Miyuki grinned, looking faintly sad still but very pretty as she tried to hide her grin behind a raised hand, a Wutai habit of hers she never lost. She rebuked him, "Now, Rude, it's not polite to say such things about a refined lady like myself."

Rude laughed through his nose, shaking his head as she left, her long mahogany-colored hair swinging across her back. Miyuki was as unrefined as a lady could get, in some ways. She drank, smoked, cursed, fought, talked back to her boss, picked on her teammates. And Rude knew she was, without a doubt, a special woman, one of his good friends.

* * *

A/N: Some WAFFy friendship here, hopefully it came out OK. I wanted to kinda bring in the notion of community, of kinship, and if you've been reading 'The Great ShinRa War', you'll understand better why exactly Rude, Miyuki and Tseng are a type of unit in and of themselves. Anyway, let me know what you think, via a review or a PM, even if it's jsut to ask "Where the hell have you been?!" LOL, cheers!


	38. Gasp

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, Rude, Tseng, any of the executives or locations referred to in this story, only my OCs Camryn, Brendan and Miyuki.

A/N: Happy Spring Break, all!! I'm recovering from LASIK (I got laser beams shot inot my eyes, LOL!!) and what better way of recovering than making a few readers happy? Anyway, Read and Review!!

* * *

_**March 5, 0003**_

_**Midgar**_

_Four hours after Rude and Tseng's sparring session came the call that changed all their lives, although they had no idea of it just yet._

"Time to go, Birdie. AVALANCHE's on the move," Reno nodded at her, tossing her the jacket she'd draped over a chair in their apartment.

Miyuki shrugged into it, tilting her head, "Let's go then, Slim. Think we'll be back before midnight? I have a, um . . . _appointment_ tonight."

Reno snickered, "Ooh, sounds fun, you dirty little beast. Let's get going, then."

Miyuki laughed as she fitted her handguns into the holsters she wore under her jacket and asked, "Is the big guy coming along?"

Reno gave her a sideways glance, "No. He's down at the Infirmary getting some rest, apparently Tseng beat him up earlier today."

Miyuki snorted, "Yeah, it was more like the other way around." Reno shrugged, "Either way, your, heh heh, _appointee_ won't be with us this time."

Miyuki narrowed her eyes at him, smiling. She mouthed, "_How'd you know, Red?_"

He smirked, "Honey, when you've made information your business since you were 13 years old, not much escapes your notice."

She shrugged, still smiling, "OK, I guess you really are a clever little fucker. Let's get going then."

_. . . Later . . ._

Reno swerved to avoid the bullets the thugs in the car before them were shooting. Miyuki swore, "Goddamnit, Reno! Stop driving like a fucking maniac! I'm trying to shoot these assholes!"

The redhead swore back, "I'm trying not to let you get shot, dumbass!"

She got back into the car to reload her gun. "Shit, Reno," she spoke in a tight voice, "My gun's heating up, if this keeps up, it'll jam for sure. Why aren't they stopping? I blew out both back tires, and-"

Reno threw the car nearly into a skid, avoiding a torn piece of tire-rubber. "Persistent motherfuckers, ain't they?"

Miyuki put her head next to Reno's, "Listen, I want you to hold the car steady as you can."

Reno shook his head, "Not happening. Those guys can shoot. You'll get hit."

She playfully bonked him on the head with the butt of the gun, "Not if I kill the driver. C'mon, Reno, let's finish this."

Reno sighed through his nose, shoulders feeling tight. "Alright, but if they start shooting close, I'll start moving again."

Miyuki kissed his cheek noisily, "I love ya, Slim!" She got to the back of the car and climbed out the window, sitting on that thin edge, hearing his shout, "I love ya too, Bird!"

"Steady, Reno!" she roared. Reno fixed the car, keeping it as steady as he could while still driving at nearly 80 miles per hour. "_Fuck getting shot,_" Reno thought, "_If Miyuki falls out of the car, she's done for._" The thugs took the opportunity that the Turk car was driving steadily and began to open fire, hitting their car's headlights.

"Anytime now, Yuki!" Reno yelled. The wind buffeted her face, sending her hair flying in all directions. Miyuki carefully aimed the gun, centering the gun's sight at the driver seat's headrest. She got the shot lined up. "_Gotcha now, you bastard,_" she smiled, squeezing the trigger.

Several things happened at the same time, or so close to one another so as to make no difference. Miyuki was driven into the car with a terrible scream as a slug tore through her shoulder, tearing flesh and splintering bone. The driver's head exploded in a red splatter. Reno yelled, "Yuki?!" at the same time as Miyuki yelled, "I'm fine! Get out from behind them, Reno!"

The driver-less car swerved wildly. It hit the curb, bounced, came back down hard. It bounced back up and flipped over when it clipped a poured cement bench on the sidewalk.

Reno pulled the steering wheel savagely, trying to put their car into a controlled skid to avoid the other car, which was coming to a rest like a dead animal several hundred feet before them.

The Turks' car skidded according to plan. Thing was, the street was too narrow. He saw what was going to happen a split second before it did. "Yuki! Driver's side, grab something, NOW!!"

The Wutaian didn't waste time asking. She grabbed the back of Reno's seat with her left arm, knocking him on the head with the gun, her right hanging limp and useless and bleeding.

The car hit the side of a building, on the passenger side. For a few seconds, all the Turks could hear was a deafening cacophony of crunching metal, breaking glass, squealing tires. Then, blessed stillness and quiet, the only sounds they could hear the small tinkling of falling glass and a muted hiss from the engine.

Reno opened his eyes slowly, dazedly. He'd hit his head hard with his window frame, felt a cut. He felt blood trickling from it, flowing down the side of his head, down his neck. His entire left side was numb, tingling as sensation returned. His legs were a riot of pain where he'd slammed against the car's dashboard. "_Feels like I got a busted kneecap_," Reno though. He tried his door. It opened, luckily enough. His knee shot thunderbolts of pain; he'd wrenched it badly, he'd find out later. Reno limped out, gun in hand, in case any thug survived the crash. Rather than inspecting the car, he just glanced at it, saw the motionless humps that had been its passengers, watched for the slightest twitch that indicated any lived. Apparently, none did, as Reno saw no movement. He glanced back at their car. No movement there either.

"Yuki?" he asked, "Hey, Miyuki, you OK?" No answer. He went to her window; saw the wounded Turk slumped in her seat, half on the floor. There was so much blood Reno began to get worried about her. Reno reached in, touched her neck. He didn't want to see her eyelids flickering as she tried to become alert; he'd never seen her weakened like this. There was blood on her neck, stemming from a head wound. He found a pulse, but found it weak. "Aw, c'mon, Ki-bird, don't be such a fucking woman!" Reno swore, trying to get her door open. It wouldn't budge. He heard something.

Miyuki was stirring, swearing in Wutaian, "Ow, son of a bitch . . . _chikusho_ . . ." Reno grumbled, smiling, "C'mon, c'mon, get up, you're bleeding all over my seats, you horrible bitch." If she could swear, she would live.

Miyuki pushed herself to a sitting position, gun still in her hand, and Reno tried to pull her out of the car. She cried out when he touched her bleeding shoulder.

Reno looked grim, "Ki-bird, I have to pull you out, you're bleeding bad. I'm gonna pull on the count of three, OK?" She nodded, looking faint. Reno counted, "One, two-" and pulled her hard, meaning to pull her in one try. Miyuki screamed sharply. Reno picked her up and shuffled away from the car, thinking she felt light as a feather, insubstantial. Her head lolled against his shoulder, her long dark hair falling in a heavy sheet. Finally, he set her down.

Inside the turned car, one of the thugs regained consciousness.

He knew he was done for, if ShinRa had sent Turks after him. He decided that, having nothing left to lose, he would at least take one of them with him. That redhead with his back towards him would be the one, even though their target, should they actively engage the Turks, was the Wutaian.

She was the one ShinRa had mentioned was suspecting him of slipping AVALANCHE their information.

* * *

A/N: Funny how a thoughtless little comment can have a big effect later on, huh? Please review, or I will slowly kill you with suspense! J/K, but I would love some comments. See ya soon!


	39. No!

Disclaimer: I don't own Reno, Rude, Tseng, any of the executives or locations referred to in this story, only my OCs Camryn, Brendan and Miyuki.

Read and Review!!

* * *

_**March 5, 0003**_

_**Midgar**_

Reno had just pulled Miyuki from the car wreck, the sniper feeling light and insubstantial in his arms. He set her down on the ground as gently as he could (considering his knee joint felt as if it were packed with ground glass – he'd wrenched it in the car crash) and fell on his butt beside her.

"Holy shit, Yuki, your arm, honeypie . . ." Reno winced, thinking it would take a miracle to save Miyuki's arm. The shoulder had been blown out, and even through all the gore, Reno could see shards of bone sticking out. The limb hung useless, motionless. Miyuki just shook her head, not wanting to look at herself, not wanting to acknowledge her condition.

The moment she saw the damage, it would become real, somehow.

As Reno tied his jacket around her wound, Miyuki weakly punched him in the mouth with her good arm. "That's for not counting till three, asshole," she told him. Reno grinned, "You fuckin' ingrate," standing up with some difficulty. He rummaged through his pockets to find restorative materia and his PHS to call Tseng. Materia in hand, Reno was about to say something when Miyuki's eyes widened and she lurched to her knees.

It took only a split second.

All the time it took Miyuki to pull her gun up and knock Reno away with it, shifting his weight onto his bad leg so that he cried out in pain as he fell over.

And that was the split second of time that doomed her as Reno heard four shots ring out, the bullets flying so close by Reno could actually smell the hot metal.

Reno was looking at Miyuki when it happened.

Miyuki's first shot went wild, as she'd received a glancing shot to her side. Her second shot hit the man's upper arm, but not before he'd hit her again, this time in the lower chest. Both shooters collapsed. When the gun smoke cleared, Reno cried out. Miyuki was flat on her back, bleeding from her lower chest. Reno saw the blood foaming, heard her whistling breath. "_He hit her in the lung,_" he tallied, looking at her wound and thinking back on his emergency wound care training. That wound was bad, worse even than her blown-out shoulder. It wasn't bleeding much, not as copiously as her shoulder, but the wound sent chills racing down Reno's spine. The foamy blood from the lung had given way to dark red blood. It was blood from the liver, and if Reno could see it coming from her wound, it probably meant Miyuki was severely hemorrhaging internally. No one survived a large-caliber gunshot wound to the liver, not when help was so far away. Not when she'd already bled so much, oncoming shock making her eyes glaze over.

Miyuki was going to die.

That realization drove Reno crazy. "No, oh no, no no no no," he pled, "Miyuki, aah, Yuki, don't-" He heard a noise. He looked back, saw the man who'd shot Miyuki turn onto his back. Reno stood up, his tattoos livid in his pale, pale face.

He took Miyuki's gun from her feeble grasp and limped over to the man. "_Look what you did, motherfucker! She's gonna die and it's all your fucking FAULT!_" Reno's mind screamed as it went to the same dark, hideous place it had gone when he found the men who'd raped Camryn all those years ago. Grabbing the smoking barrel of Miyuki's gun, Reno didn't even feel the hot metal burning his hand.

He stood beside the shooter and shot him until the gun was empty. Face, chest, abdomen, Reno didn't care. He wasn't aiming. He just wanted the man to die for what he did.

Reno heard Miyuki whimpering in pain, and it brought him back. He saw the bloody mess and spun around too quickly, feeling despair, loss. He threw the gun away, realized he was hyperventilating. He went to Miyuki's side.

She glanced at him, eyes glazed with the monstrous pain, tears sliding into her hair. Reno sat next to her, pulled her half-way onto his lap. He stroked her face, her hair, "I'm so sorry, Miyuki." The Wutaian tried to speak, managed a weak whisper, "It's . . . OK . . ."

Reno found himself crying, "No it's not, Ki-Bird, no it's not!" _Lord, how young Reno truly was. He probably had never experienced the death of a close friend._ He sniffled, "Please, baby, hang on, listen, the Emergency Medical people are on the way, can you hear them?"

_It hurt her to see him still hoping, still thinking she'd make it out of this one. It hurt to see him so sad, he who was the one to always make jokes, make people laugh. Her body, her mind, it all hurt. _Miyuki groaned in pain, whimpering, "It hurts, Reno, it hurts so bad. . . "

The sirens sounded too far off to be of any use.

_Darkness was encroaching around the edges of her vision, and her recent years on this planet seemed worthless. She thought of what afterlife awaited her, but she could think of nothing. It was all black. _Miyuki shook her head. She squeezed Reno's hand hard. ". . . I'm s-so sc-scared, Reno . . ." she whispered, her breath whistling low in her throat. Reno shook his head, "Don't be, sweetheart. Everything will be OK, you hear me?"

She tried to smile at him, tears escaping her dark eyes, ". . . Thank you, Reno." Reno's own tears flowed down his face, knowing this was goodbye. "Nah, babe," he managed in a hoarse voice, "It was a real treat working with you. You kick ass. Thanks for watching my back so many times." Miyuki held his gaze, thinking, "_And I would do it all again, Red. I don't regret taking your bullets. I think it's the only good thing I've ever done, the only __**right**__ thing I've done in my life. But please, please get over me quick. You need to be ready for what's coming. There's so much I wanted to tell you . . . ShinRa . . ."_

"Thank . . . the guys . . . for being good . . ." she whispered, and then Miyuki was beyond words. Reno held her gaze, listening to the sirens draw nearer. Miyuki's grip relaxed as she lost consciousness, her breath rattling out of her ruined chest.

Reno's breath racked in and out of his constricted throat. He cried and whimpered, "Yuki, Yuki, oh my God, Bird, hang on, hang on." The redhead brought his friend's body against himself and he held her while the Emergency Medical Services finally arrived. Her breathing was too slow and faint, her heartbeat was too fast, and she felt so light in his arms, so frail.

He let the paramedics take Miyuki from him, watched as they carted her off to an ambulance to try to bring her back with Revive materia, with Life and Restore and all those other useful spells that seemed feeble now in the face of so much hurt. The ambulance shrieked away, and the EMS technicians who staid behind looked at the mutilated corpse, then looked at Reno warily. They tried to heal him, but he waved them away.

Reno wiped his face and called Tseng.

* * *

Tseng winced in pain as his stiff neck protested his poring over files and reports. "_Shit, should've known better . . ._"the Wutaian thought, chastising himself over letting Rude goad him into a fight. Rude had always been extremely powerful, and while Tseng was a strong, well-trained fighter, in a hand to hand battle with the big man from Mideel he had no chance whatsoever. He looked at all the AVALANCHE files, sighing at all the problems they'd caused. His PHS rang, the caller ID marking Reno's name on the screen.

"Hey, Reno. You and Miyuki-" he heard how Reno's breathing sounded, heard the sirens, "What happened?" Reno cleared his throat, "Miyuki's dying, Tseng."

The Turk leader gave an audible gasp. His hands trembled as he asked, "How, Reno? What the hell happened?" Reno explained, but all Tseng could think about was of Miyuki, of how, just that same morning, she'd been teasing and annoying him, making lame jokes.

Tseng heard how tired and sad Reno sounded. "Tell me where you are, Reno. I'll come get you."

A short while later, Tseng was on his way. As he drove, he received a call from the EMS services, to tell him that, at 9:29 PM, about seven minutes after they began giving her life support treatment, Miyuki of the Turks, aged 26, was pronounced dead.


End file.
